The Political Legacy of Colonialism in Zimbabwe: Implications for Justice and Elections in Africa

This book investigates the political legacy of colonialism in contemporary African institutions.

Using the case study of electoral and justice institutions in postcolonial Zimbabwe, the book investigates how those in postcolonial states relate to and with institutions which were originally designed to oppress them and remain structurally and systematically colonial. The book argues that the colonial era colonised the land, knowledge, and minds of Africans, resulting in injustice and epistemicide. The book demonstrates how the key institutions of elections and justice have been rendered anti-Black and toxic. The book calls for Africa to invest in epistemic independence, unencumbered by western political modernity, and to then deploy that independence to build reconstituted institutions, structures, and systems which serve the interests of Africans.

This book will be an important read for African policy makers and researchers working on African politics, governance, and international relations.