Citizenship, Class, and Conflict in Post-Colonial Africa (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9789956004577)

This volume explores political discourses of citizenship within the crucible of class struggle and social division. Spanning political science, history, sociology, philosophy, psychology, and theology, these eight independent chapters analyse the Zimbabwean experience and the systematic failure of post-colonial states to realize the egalitarian dreams of their liberation movements. By examining the intersections of statehood, resource control, and identity, the authors argue that the quest for a classless society has been subverted by a predatory elite - a new ruling class that often mirrors the colonial oppressors it replaced. The work's originality lies in its synthesis of Orwellian satire and the "Dark Triad" psychological framework (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy) to explain the behaviour of leaders who have effectively "decitizenized" rural populations. Through an investigation of state-led evictions and the erosion of indigenous land rights, the book illustrates how modern identities - shaped by race, ethnicity, and language - have compromised livelihoods and created exclusionary new imaginations of citizenship in Zimbabwe and across the African continent.