Zimbabwean forms of resistance: Social movements, strategic dilemmas and transformative change
Creators: name: McCandless, Erin
Publisher: name: American University
Year: 2023

description: Civic organizations and social movements face profound strategic dilemmas that hamper their effectiveness and prevent them from contributing to transformative change and ultimately, peace. In Zimbabwe these dilemmas feed into and fuel destructive processes of political polarization. The first dilemma, conceptualized as participation vs. resistance, involves relationships, or who to partner with--an authoritarian state, or, donors with agendas that serve particular notions democracy and the free market that are often not people-centered or transformative. A second, political-economy oriented dilemma, relates to content--whether to strategically prioritize governance and political issues, or economic justice, as the catalytic force for transformative change. In Zimbabwe this takes the form of rights vs. redistribution--a conceptualization embedded in historical Liberal/Marxist and North-South debates revolving around the actual existence of socialism and capitalism, democracy and development. This thesis, based on four years of field work in Zimbabwe, focuses on a seven year period (1997-2003) of intense state-civic society interaction which fueled significant economic, political and social change. Utilizing case studies and critical ethnographic and evaluation strategies of inquiry, the organizational forms, strategic dilemmas and actions, and social process outcomes of two pivotal movement organizations are examined: the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) and the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA). To analyze the implications of particular strategic actions for the realization of transformative social change and peace, the study develops an evaluative framework integrating these concepts, as well as people-centered development and democracy, in dialogue with local context and actions. These findings point towards the need to transcend strategic dilemmas by embracing both "sides". While strategic dilemmas can fuel polarization, they are also opportunities for transformation. Contrary to Fukuyama's thesis, history has not ended: resistance will continue in different forms until both rights and redistribution are addressed. Social movements are most effective when they combine strategies of participation and resistance. The Zimbabwe case illustrates how resistance, a term often reserved for the economic realm, is also applicable to authoritarian governance. These finding challenge scholars, practitioners and activists globally to search for theories and practices that transcend these dilemmas, rather than providing the means reifying polarizations. This thesis, based on four years of field work in Zimbabwe, focuses on a seven year period (1997--2003) of intense state---civil society interaction which fuelled significant economic, political and social change. Utilizing case studies and critical ethnographic and evaluation strategies of inquiry, the organizational forms, strategic dilemmas and actions, and social process outcomes of two pivotal movement organizations are examined: the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) and the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA). To analyze the implications of particular strategic actions for the realization of transformative social change and peace, the study develops an evaluative framework integrating these concepts, as well as people-centered development and democracy, in dialogue with local context and actors. The findings point towards the need to transcend strategic dilemmas by embracing both "sides". While strategic dilemmas can fuel polarization, they are also opportunities for transformation. Contrary to Fukuyama's thesis, history has not ended: resistance will continue in different forms until both rights and redistribution are addressed. Social movements are most effective when they combine strategies of participation and resistance. The Zimbabwe case illustrates how resistance, a term often reserved for the economic realm, is also applicable to authoritarian governance. These findings challenge scholars, practitioners and activists globally to search for theories and practices that transcend these dilemmas, rather than providing the means for reifying polarizations.