The Fast Track Land Reform Programme implemented during the 2000s
in Zimbabwe represents the only instance of radical redistributive
land reforms since the end of the Cold War. It reversed the
racially-skewed agrarian structure and discriminatory land tenures
inherited from colonial rule. The land reform also radicalised the
state towards a nationalist, introverted accumulation strategy,
against a broad array of unilateral Western sanctions. Indeed,
Zimbabwe's land reform, in its social and political dynamics, must
be compared to the leading land reforms of the twentieth century,
which include those of Mexico, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea,
Taiwan, Cuba and Mozambique. The fact that the Zimbabwe case has
not been recognised as vanguard nationalism has much to do with the
'intellectual structural adjustment' which has accompanied
neoliberalism and a hostile media campaign. This has entailed
dubious theories of eneopatrimonialismi, which reduce African
politics and the state to endemic ecorruptioni, epatronagei, and
etribalismi while overstating the virtues of neoliberal good
governance. Under this racist repertoire, it has been impossible to
see class politics, mass mobilisation and resistance, let alone
believe that something progressive can occur in Africa. This book
comes to a conclusion that the Zimbabwe land reform represents a
new form of resistance with distinct and innovative characteristics
when compared to other cases of radicalisation, reform and
resistance. The process of reform and resistance has entailed the
deliberate creation of a tri-modal agrarian structure to
accommodate and balance the interests of various domestic classes,
the progressive restructuring of labour relations and agrarian
markets, the continuing pressures for radical reforms (through the
indigenisation of mining and other sectors), and the rise of
extensive, albeit relatively weak, producer cooperative structures.
The book also highlights some of the resonances between the
Zimbabwean land struggles and those on the continent, as well as in
the South in general, arguing that there are some convergences and
divergences worthy of intellectual attention. The book thus calls
for greater endogenous empirical research which overcomes the
pre-occupation with failed interpretations of the nature of the
state and agency in Africa.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
