The politics of language and nationality in Zimbabwe: Nation building or empire building?

Abstract

This article discusses the intersections of language, identity formation and nation building in Zimbabwe. The article argues that political aspirations for empire building by the ruling elite have come to be popularized and legitimized as language policy and nation building initiatives in postcolonial Zimbabwe. While Zimbabwe is characterized by a high degree of linguistic pluralism and cultural diversity, it is only the Shona and Ndebele languages (mother tongues of the ruling elite) that continue to be promoted and propagated as the rallying point for the country's perceived postcolonial nation building project. This drive for exclusionary postcolonial nation building has led to the unprecedented constriction of educational and economic opportunities for speakers of socio-politically 'weak' or 'minority' languages. Drawing on insights from the constructivist perspective on the nation and national identity, the article reinterprets the politics of language and identity formation in postcolonial Zimbabwe.