Promising Directions in the Studies of the Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902)

In November 2022, the Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, hosted an international academic conference “Researching the Anglo-Boer War of 1899–1902: The Practice and the Future”. The event marked the 120th anniversary of the end of the first major armed conflict of the 20th century. The goal of the conference was to help stimulating dialogue between Russian and international historians who study the Anglo-Boer War. About a hundred people attended the conference both in person and online. Seventeen Russian and South African researchers presented their papers. The participants considered the main aspects of the historiography of the Anglo-Boer War in the XX–XXI centuries. The Anglo-Boer War studies in Russia and South Africa were analysed. The Russian involvement in the Anglo-Boer War in the historical context of the Russian volunteers’ participation in military conflicts was reviewed, as well as the study of the influence of the experience of this war on subsequent military conflicts. It was concluded that there was the potential for a more robust study of the Anglo-Boer War and for exploring new themes. The participants discussed some of the most promising directions in the Anglo-Boer War studies.