Cultivations on the frontiers of modernity : power, welfare and belonging on commercial farms before and after "fast-track land reform" in Zimbabwe

Forms of power on commercial farms and power relations between white farm owners and black farmworkers in Zimbabwe have been explored by scholars such as Clarke (1977), Loewenson (1992), Amanor-Wilks (1995), Tandon (2001) and especially Rutherford (2001a). While most focus on the capitalist exploitation of farmworkers and forms of structural violence, Rutherford has gone beyond political-economy to understand power relations on farms in terms of the histories and complex forms of identity formation among both white farmers and black workers in pre- and post-independence Zimbabwe. However, the subtle and often obscured role of the "farmer's wife" in farm power relations, determined by the dynamics of a system Rutherford (2001a) has called "domestic government", has not been examined much in the literature. In this thesis I address this omission through an examination of the role of welfare initiatives and related activities intimately linked to domesticity and white "farmer's wives" within Rhodesian/Zimbabwean white settler society. I show that this "maternalistic" role was not only important in the colonial civilising and modernising endeavours of white farmers as they "cultivated" African fields, African workers and their own identities, but also became an important foundation on which post-independence welfare endeavours (linked to a new kind of civilising mission: that of neoliberal "civil society") were built. I then trace the impacts of the radical agrarian shifts introduced in 2000 with the "Fast-track Land Reform Programme" (FTLRP) on such interventions and on their beneficiaries, black farmworkers, as well as on the emergent power relations which farmworkers and dwellers now negotiate. Based on nine months of fieldwork, and on archival and library research, this multi-sited study takes a historical-ethnographic approach which pays attention to the longue durée and the entanglement of political-economic and gendered socio-cultural factors shaping power regimes and relations in rural Zimbabwe. The dissertation weaves together several strands of argument relating to the changing dynamics of power, welfare, modernity and belonging and how these changes are affecting white farmers and their wives, NGOs and (former) farmworkers and dwellers in contemporary Zimbabwe. It contributes to a fuller, more nuanced and gendered understanding of the (dynamic) nature of labour relations and the role of welfare and "improvement" endeavours on (former) commercial farms over the course of more than a century

Negotiating impoverishment: Farm worker responses to displacement following land invasions in Zimbabwe's "Fast Track Land Reform Programme"

This thesis investigates the impacts of sudden, unplanned, and violent displacement on farm workers such as Frank Juwawo during Zimbabwe’s recent Fast Track Land Reform Programme. It seeks to illustrate how the members of a complex community were differentially impacted by displacement and displayed differing abilities to mitigate the resulting social and economic impoverishment. In order to illuminate this particular displacement scenario, this thesis uses theoretical and analytical tools developed in the field of displacement studies, adapting them to suit the kind of displacement experienced by Zimbabwean farm workers.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Anthropology, 200

Translating complex realities through technologies: lessons about participatory accountability from South Africa

Accountability is a complex issue in South Africa. The country has high levels of inequality, and marginalised groups struggle to make themselves heard by those in power. Yet the issue is further complicated by an interacting set of factors, including the legacy of apartheid, gender and religious issues, and the lack of access to those in power. Through a six-year research project, the Sustainable Livelihoods Foundation (SLF) used a range of technology-enabled participatory processes to unpack this lack of government accountability. This report focuses on four case studies, which examined the lived realities of marginalised groups and the activists that campaign on their behalf: activists against gender-based violence and for community safety; community care workers and health committee members working for public health; informal traders and the informal economy; and traditional medicine, Rastafarian bossie doktors and indigenous rights. SLF supported these groups to work together and identify the accountability issues that they felt were important, and then consider how they could raise their voice collectively to those that shape and implement policy. The process strengthened the capacity of these groups to speak out – not least through the use of different participatory technologies including digital storytelling, film making, PhotoVoice, geospatial mapping and infographics. This report reflects on the different tools used, considering the effectiveness of the outputs generated and how these tools can empower citizens and bring marginalised groups together. Lastly, the report reflects on SLF’s role as an intermediary organisation, and how this role can influence the path that marginalised groups take in their efforts to make government more responsive to their needs.DFIDUSAIDSidaOmidyar Networ

Zugang finden: eine Antwort auf “Blinded by Sight: Divining the Future of Anthropology in Africa” von Francis Nyamnjoh

Contribution to the Debate on Anthropology in Africa in Africa Spectrum.Beitrag zur "Debate on Anthropology in Africa" in Africa Spectrum

On Gaining Access: A Response to Francis Nyamnjoh’s “Blinded by Sight: Divining the Future of Anthropology in Africa” Zugang finden: eine Antwort auf “Blinded by Sight: Divining the Future of Anthropology in Africa” von Francis Nyamnjoh

Contribution to the Debate on Anthropology in Africa in Africa Spectrum.Beitrag zur "Debate on Anthropology in Africa" in Africa Spectrum

On gaining access: a response to Francis Nyamnjoh’s "Blinded by sight: divining the future of anthropology in Africa"

Beitrag zur "Debate on Anthropology in Africa" in Africa Spectrum

Negotiating impoverishment: Farm worker responses to displacement following land invasions in Zimbabwe's "Fast Track Land Reform Programme"

This thesis investigates the impacts of sudden, unplanned, and violent displacement on farm workers such as Frank Juwawo during Zimbabwe’s recent Fast Track Land Reform Programme. It seeks to illustrate how the members of a complex community were differentially impacted by displacement and displayed differing abilities to mitigate the resulting social and economic impoverishment. In order to illuminate this particular displacement scenario, this thesis uses theoretical and analytical tools developed in the field of displacement studies, adapting them to suit the kind of displacement experienced by Zimbabwean farm workers.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Anthropology, 200