Land Reform Deception

Political Opportunism in Zimbabwe's Land Seizure Era
Erscheinungsjahr 2016
ISBN: 978-0-19-939829-4
Verlag: OXFORD UNIV PR

Buch, Englisch, 424 Seiten, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 798 g

The Land Reform Deception looks at a particularly contentious period in Zimbabwe's recent history, from 2000-2008, when the government seized commercial farms using illegal and violent methods against an unarmed population of farmers and workers. Robert Mugabe's government began the seizures on a small, targeted scale in an effort to suppress opposition groups, but they soon escalated into an out-of-control frenzy targeting all farms in the country.

The state claimed that the seizures were carried out in response to a public cry for land redistribution and to rectify colonial-era injustices, but the move was economically and socially disastrous for the country. Land was distributed to those with little or no farming experience, and, as a result, agricultural output contracted and inflation and unemployment rose dramatically. The basic question Charles Laurie raises is why the state would target its own dominant agricultural industry using
such violent and illegal methods. He also seeks to uncover the major actors and their motivations and strategies. Laurie argues that the land seizures were carried out by high-ranking officials, mostly veterans of the national war for independence, for financial and political gain. But he argues that
the scale on which they were carried out and the violent methods used were never part of a planned government policy. He also argues that Mugabe initially opposed the seizures, knowing that they would wreck the economy, only to later support them to retain his political power. Incorporating unprecedented empirical evidence gathered from in-depth interviews with senior politicians, members of the secretive Central Intelligence Organization, the military and police, along with farmers and workers
who were targeted during the invasions, The Land Reform Deception strips away official explanations and delves into the political and economic drivers that triggered the seizure of commercial farms.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Laurie, Charles

Fachgebiete

• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Entwicklungsstudien
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Zentralregierung
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Internationale Wirtschaft Entwicklungsökonomie & Emerging Markets
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Politische Führung
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Demokratie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Afrikanische Geschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Internationale Beziehungen Entwicklungspolitik, Nord-Süd Beziehungen

Über Autor(innen)

Charles Laurie was born and raised in Zimbabwe and has had a lifelong interest in the agricultural politics of the region. With an advanced Master's degree from the University of Cambridge and a doctorate from the University of Oxford, he has dedicated his academic career to understanding the political, social and economic influences that undermine development in southern Africa.