Grappling with Mugabe’s Masculinist Politics in Zimbabwe: A Gender Perspective

Abstract

This chapter begins by conceptualizing masculinities and their deployment in politics through the career and life of Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe. In this process, there will be an analysis of the trajectory of Mugabe’s career, which is intertwined with that of Zimbabwe, and his engagement with his political foes, his party colleagues, and the populace of Zimbabwe. The chapter examines the deployment of specific types of masculine behavior, norms, and values in political engagements by Mugabe, paying specific attention to the cultural, social, economic, and gender contexts in which he has operated.