The Political Legacy of Colonialism in Zimbabwe: Implications for Justice and Elections in Africa [Hardcover]

Using the case study of postcolonial Zimbabwe, this book investigates the political legacy of colonialism in contemporary African institutions,?exploring how those in postcolonial states relate to and with institutions which were originally designed to oppress them and remain structurally and systematically colonial.

This book investigates the political legacy of colonialism in contemporary African institutions.

Using the case study of electoral and justice institutions in post-colonial Zimbabwe, the book explores how those in post-colonial states relate to and with institutions initially designed to oppress them and remain structurally and systematically colonial. The book argues that the colonial era colonised the land, knowledge, and minds of Africans, resulting in injustice and epistemicides. The book demonstrates how the critical institutions of elections and justice have been rendered anti-black and toxic. The book calls for Africa to invest in epistemic independence, unencumbered by Western political modernity, and then deploy that independence to build reconstituted institutions, structures, and systems that serve the interests of Africans.

This book will be an important read for African policymakers and researchers working on African politics, governance, and international relations.

Acronyms viii 1 Historicising Elections and Justice in Zimbabwe 1 2 On the Nullification of the Post-Colonial African State 21 3 The Political Legacy of Colonialism on the Post Colony 38 4 Colonialism, Justice, and Elections in Africa 55 5 Racism as an Ideology 82 6 Electoral Authoritarianism and Democratic Fatigue: Examining the Dynamics of Choiceless Elections in Zimbabwe 101 7 Electoral Participation and Intergenerational Rights: Is It Time for an Upper Age Limit for Voting? 124 8 The Shadow State and the Electoral Cycle: Faking Democracy 142 9 What about a Truth and Reconcililck