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Communal tenure in Zimbabwe: divergent models of collective land holding in the Communal Areas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 December 2011

Michael O'Flaherty
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Extract

This article discusses the historical construction of land tenure patterns in the Communal Areas of Zimbabwe, previously the Reserves of colonial Rhodesia. In many respects the form of communal tenure found in the Communal Areas today emerged during the early colonial period. While being glossed as ‘traditional’, communal tenure is a contradictory amalgam of local, regional and state initiatives. The discussion outlines the historical development of present tenure relations in the Communal Areas, reviews their multiple sources of legitimacy and suggests that common property regimes in Zimbabwe are not simply the artefact of colonial indirect rule.

Résumé

Cet article examine la construction historique des modèles d'occupation des terres dans les zones communautaires du Zimbabwe, autrefois appelées “réserves” au temps de la Rhodésie coloniale. A de nombreux égards, le type d'occupation communautaire identifyé dans les zones communautaires actuelles est apparu au début de la période coloniale. Qualifiée “traditionnelle”, cette occupation communautaire est en fait un amalgame contradictoire d'initiatives locales, régionales et nationales. L'article présente les grandes lignes de l'évolution historique des relations d'occupation actuelles dans les zones communautaires, passe en revue leurs multiples sources de légitimité et suggère que les régimes communs de la propriété au Zimbabwe ne sont pas le simple fait d'une domination coloniale indirecte.

Type
At the colonial margin: the past in the present
Information
Africa , Volume 68 , Issue 4 , October 1998 , pp. 537 - 557
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 1998

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