Twenty Years of Independence in Zimbabwe : From Liberation to Authoritarianism

This collection offers comprehensive insights into pivotal areas of concern regarding developments in Zimbabwe since its independence. By disclosing the intra-elite competition, assessing the performance of Zimbabwe's economy and explaining how the country's natural resources have been managed, we can better understand the ruling ZANU-PF's increasing reliance on the so-called war veterans and the land reform issue for its political survival. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Research Debates in Zimbabwe: From Analysis to Practice....Pages 1-14 Indigenization, the State Bourgeoisie and Neo-authoritarian Politics....Pages 15-33 The Performance of the Zimbabwean Economy, 1980–2000....Pages 34-77 Natural Resource Management in the Communal Areas: From Centralization to Decentralization and Back Again....Pages 78-103 Zimbabwe’s War Veterans and the Ruling Party: Continuities in Political Dynamics....Pages 104-121 Regional Voting and Cabinet Formation....Pages 122-139 Education in Zimbabwe: A Matter of Success?....Pages 140-158 Vacillations Around Women: The Overlapping Meanings of ‘Women’ in the Zimbabwean Context....Pages 159-178 Foreign and Security Policy of Zimbabwe: From Independence to the DRC....Pages 179-195 The Media in Zimbabwe: The Struggle between State and Civil Society....Pages 196-221 Back Matter....Pages 222-245 This collection offers comprehensive insights into pivotal areas of concern regarding developments in Zimbabwe since independence. On a national level, key indigenization policies in both political and economical spheres are assessed. Special attention is given to intra-elite competition, educational programmes, the lacklustre performance of the Zimbabwean economy, and the management of its resources. President Mugabe's re-introduction of the war veterans for his political survival is explored by providing historical perspective on the mutual dependency of veterans and the ruling party. The book also shows how veterans have used their power in the party to pursue narrow group gains by fighting for the conversion of private land into state land. Efforts by the regime to muffle private media outlets and deteriorating media scene in general are outlined