The Unsettled Land

Since 2000, the politics of land in Zimbabwe has taken on greater regional and international importance, particularly as mass-mediated representations of the widespread evictions of white farmers and their workforce grabbed the attention of politicians, diplomats, policy makers, and the public throughout the world. The resulting increased interest in the politics of land in Zimbabwe and southern Africa more broadly has reinvigorated policy discussions concerning the redress of racially skewed land ownership inherited by post-colonial nations from their colonial predecessors and addressing rural, if not national development. Jocelyn Alexander's The Unsettled Land is a must-read for those involved in such discussions as well as those interested in African history and state formation more broadly, as it richly and astutely situates the current politics of land in Zimbabwe within the more relevant context of the making, unmaking, and contestation of state and other forms of authority in rural Zimbabwe. By grounding the unfolding land conflicts in this deeper politics, she raises very relevant points for anyone interested or involved in rural development issues in southern Africa and elsewhere.

Archaeology · Colonialism · Context (archaeology) · Geography · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Redress · Sociology · State (computer science) · African history and culture studies · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Gender Studies · Land Rights and Reforms · Law