Theorising and Historicising the Livelihoods of Ethnic Minorities in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This chapter introduces the ensuing chapters in this volume on the livelihoods of ethnic minorities in Zimbabwe. It does so by offering theoretical comments about ethnicity and livelihoods as well as providing historical details pertaining to the development of ethnic minorities in Zimbabwe. As the chapter shows, the volume sits at the intersection of two sets of scholarly literature, namely, literature on ethnicity and literature on livelihoods. As a general trend, these two sets of literature do not adequately engage with each other, and this volume seeks to contribute to addressing this problem through a number of case studies of various ethnic minorities in both past and present Zimbabwe. Much of the literature on ethnicity in Zimbabwe focuses on the two main ethnic groupings (Shona and Ndebele), including the significance of ethnic contestations between these two groupings in post-1980 Zimbabwe. This has tended to crowd out studies about ethnic minorities in the country. This volume, thus, brings to the fore the importance of studying ethnic minorities in offering a more refined ethnic analysis of Zimbabwean history, politics and society.