Militarisation, Politics, Resistance and Loyalty in Zimbabwe

In post-colonial Africa, the military has remained in politics as visible actors both in the barracks and party politics. The military is deeply involved in electoral governance system, that is mobilising and intimidating the electorate so as to influence the outcome of elections. This paper argues that rather focusing on the military as passive actors in politics, there is need to re-conceptualise the idea of the military as a profession, which goes beyond the barracks. The paper draws from an ethnography of doing military research with former soldiers who served in the military in the Zimbabwean context.