Zimbabwe's International Relations

Fantasy, Reality and the Making of the State

Julia Gallagher

 

Synopsis

Zimbabwe is a state that has undergone significant ruptures in its domestic and international politics in recent years. This book explores how Zimbabwean citizens have, under difficult circumstances, reconstructed ideas of their state by imagining the wider world. Unlike other work on international relations, which tends to focus on the state level, this book is based on the accounts of ordinary people. Drawing on interviews with more than two hundred Zimbabweans, collected over three years, Gallagher explores how citizens draw on emotional responses to the international to find and construct different 'others'. While this unique and compelling read will appeal to those researching Zimbabwe, Gallagher's wider conclusions will interest those studying and advancing the broader theoretical debates of international relations.

Review

This book examines the Zimbabwean state and its international relations from the perspective of its citizens, drawing on numerous interviews and over three years of research.

Author

Julia Gallagher's academic work builds on a long-standing interest and engagement in international politics and Africa.