Elite Conflict, Compromise, and Enduring Authoritarianism: Polarization in Zimbabwe, 1980–2008

Abstract

How do elites play a role in crafting polarization? And what effects do elite-led conflicts have on democracy and mass politics? To examine these questions, we compare two separate episodes of party-based polarization in Zimbabwe, from 1980 to 1987 and from 2000 to 2008. Each of these moments of polarization ended in an elite power-sharing settlement, but a comparison of the two moments yields insights about both the causes of polarization and its effects. We find that the episodes of polarization were rooted in elite instrumentalization of conflict. They differed, however, in the extent to which they activated foundational myths and built larger master cleavages. We suggest that the latter episode conforms more closely to McCoy, Rahman, and Somer’s pernicious polarization, which we argue is marked by deeper societal penetration and segregation than other forms of political polarization and is also less amenable to resolution.

Political conflict and community health in Zimbabwe: Health professionals’ perspectives

“…The fact that perpetrators of the violence are well-known and are still around in Chegutu increases the trauma for victims (and most of them heal physically but have never been treated of PTSD) and the spectre of repeated violence by the same offenders as well as a potential physical response by the opposition defending themselves against repression. These findings are in accord with recent studies indicating that violence in Zimbabwe is methodical and political (Dodo, Nsenduluka & Kasanda 2016;Duri 2019;LeBas & Munemo 2019;Nyere 2016). These results also confirm the association between violence and physical and psychological trauma (Kidia 2018).…”

Latin American Democratic Resilience and Political Polarization in Comparative Perspective

“…Ethnic and religious cleavages provide an example: Zimbabwe with its identifiable ethnic cleavage has not consistently expressed political interests around those cleavages, and did not consistently experience political polarization(LeBas & Munemo, 2019). Poland, Hungary, and the Philippines, on the other hand, with more homogenous populations in terms of language, religion, and ethnicity, nevertheless experienced episodes of deep polarization…”