Patriots, Puppets, Dissidents and the Politics of Inclusion and Excluson in Contemporary Zimbabwe

Abstract

This article examines the complex politics of inclusion and exclusion in Zimbabwe dating back to the time of the liberation struggle. It focuses on two case studies of the forgotten Internal Settlement of 1978-1979, and the Patriotic Front-Zimbabwe African People\'s Union (PF-ZAPU) in the period 1980-1987 that was eventually swallowed by the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) in December 1987. Detailed analyses of these two case studies demonstrate the complexities of politics of inclusion and exclusion that culminated in a nation that is highly polarised and currently on
the brink of violent conflict attended by unprecedented economic crisis.

EASSRR Vol. 24 (1) 2008: pp. 81-108