Introduction: Law, state authority and the courts, 1. History, authority and the law in Zimbabwe, 1950–2002; 2. 'Rebels' and 'good boys': examining the working conditions in Zimbabwe's attorney general's office after 2000; 3. 'Zimbabweans are foolishly litigious': debating citizenship when engaging with a politicised legal system; 4. 'What is abnormal is normal': performative politics on the stages of arrest and detention; 5. Material and sensory courtrooms: observing the 'decline of professionalism' in Harare's magistrates'' courts; 6. The trials of the 'traitor in Harare's magistrates' courts under the unity government; 7. History, consciousness and citizenship in Matabeleland: the impact of the MLF case; 8. Historical narrative and political strategy in Bulawayo's magistrates' courts: the case of Owen Maseko; Conclusion: 'Government is a legal fiction' – performing law, the state, citizenship and politics.
Challenges depictions of law as a façade for political repression by examining political trials in Zimbabwe after 2000.
Susanne Verheul is a Research Fellow in International Development at the University of Oxford where her research focuses on questions of law and politics in Southern Africa. She previously taught at University College Roosevelt, Utrecht University and holds a DPhil from the University of Oxford.
'In Verheul's masterful account, law shapes (and is shaped by)
political subjectivities and norms in crisis-ridden post-colonial
Zimbabwe. We see how law works within the state and how meaningful
legal practices, claims and institutions can be, for both those in
authority and those who resist.' Sara Rich Dorman, University of
Edinburgh
'Through a finely crafted interweaving of detailed courtroom
ethnography, revealing interviews and carefully read legal
documents, Susanne Verheul eloquently unfolds the complex
relationships between history, law, politics, state authority and
citizenship. While contextualised within Zimbabwe, this rich
account and its analytical insights has great significance for a
wide range of scholarly fields.' Amanda Hammar, University of
Copenhagen
'A fascinating and vividly painted picture of the way in which
power gets enacted in Zimbabwe's courtrooms and a must-read for
socio-legal scholars and Africanists alike. Verheul manages to
combine disciplinary perspectives and rich case material to dig
deep into how power gets constituted and is performed. Highly
recommended!' Barbara Oomen, Utrecht University
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
