Resilience Under Siege

Book excerpt: This volume explores the challenges and solutions experienced within Zimbabwe’s economic and social spheres, with particular reference to the “crisis years” (2000–2008) and the “promising turn” (2009–2012). This latter phase was prompted by the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU). The contributors to the volume pay attention to how individuals and institutions sought to respond to the crisis, critiquing the reactions of various actors and exploring solutions to the various challenges that were experienced. Chapters in this book include reviews of agricultural subsidies, a gendered approach to poverty, the collapse of service delivery (including a particular focus on education), the “look East policy”, the expansion of the religious sector, and the experiences of Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa. Underlying these contributions are the concepts of resilience and agency. The authors all highlight the massive challenges that individuals and institutions had to navigate, and acknowledge the creativity deployed in such quests. This book will appeal to scholars in economics, history and economic history, religious studies, education, and political science, as well as the general reader.