Phimister, I. R.Oelofse, M.Daimon, Anusa2016-11-232016-11-232015-11http://hdl.handle.net/11660/4766English: This thesis historicizes the connections between identity, marginality and agency amongst an African diasporic community in Zimbabwe. It uses the case of people of Malawian ancestry or Mabhurandaya as a window into examining how their experiences in Zimbabwe, from the 1890s until the inception of the Government of National Unity in 2008, were shaped by various dynamics. More specifically, it situates and historicizes the place of identity in the marginalization of the Malawian diaspora in Zimbabwe and their counter-initiatives in managing and adapting to challenges. Having come into Zimbabwe initially as migrants under the colonial labour migration (Chibaro/Mthandizi) system before gradually settling down permanently as part of a diasporic minority, some Malawian descendants carved a niche for themselves in what became their permanent ‘home’. Malawian identities emerged and were constructed, imagined, as well as contested in various spaces across Zimbabwe. Fluid and multiple identities were fashioned or negotiated based on foreign ancestry, migration experiences, ethnicity, gender, class, education and unique socio-cultural motifs. Officially dubbed ‘native aliens’ by the Rhodesian state and later simply as ‘aliens’ by the post-colonial state, or more commonly as Mabhurandaya by the Zimbabwean indigenes, Malawian communities became an integral component of Zimbabwean social, economic and political history. Nonetheless, the colonial and post-colonial state historically marginalised migrant descendants with diasporas living as minorities in states of unbelonging. At the same time, the Malawian diaspora exerted individual and collective agency to cope and adapt to the several challenges and anxieties they faced in Zimbabwe. They made their own history, and found ways to assert and express themselves. Their experiences were not homogenous but were multi-layered, varying according to gender, age, education, occupation and settlement. They were also multi-dimensional and often cyclical in nature, manifesting themselves in intricate life cycles of marginality and agency over time. The thesis provides a critical and historical analysis of the above dynamics, which is empirically grounded in specific case studies across Zimbabwe.Afrikaans: Hierdie tesis problematiseer en historiseer die verbande tussen identiteit, marginaliteit en bemiddeling in ’n diasporiese Afrika-gemeenskap in Zimbabwe. Dit fokus op mense van Malawiese afkoms, of Mabhurandaya, en stel ondersoek in na die wyse waarop hulle ervarings in Zimbabwe, van die 1890’s tot die instelling van die Regering van Nasionale Eenheid in 2008, vorm gegee is deur verskillende dinamikas. Meer spesifiek situeer en historiseer dit die plek van identiteit in die marginalisering van die Malawiese diasporiese gemeenskap in Zimbabwe en hulle teen-inisiatiewe om uitdagings te bestuur en daarby aan te pas. Nadat hierdie mense Zimbabwe oorspronklik binnegekom het as migrante onder die koloniale arbeidsmigrasiebedeling (Chibaro/Mthandizi-stelsel), het hulle geleidelik permanent gevestig geraak as deel van ’n diasporiese minderheid. Sommige Malawiese afstammelinge het mettertyd ’n nis gevind in wat hulle permanente tuiste sou word. Malawiese identiteite het te voorskyn gekom en is gekonstrueer, verbeel en betwis in verskeie ruimtes en plekke regoor Zimbabwe. Vloeibare en veelvuldige identiteite is gevorm of beding op grond van buitelandse afkoms, migrasie-ervarings, etnisiteit, geslag, klas, onderwyspeil en unieke sosiokulturele motiewe. Malawiërs is amptelik as ‘inheemse vreemdelinge’ deur die Rhodesiese staat geïdentifiseer en later bloot as ‘vreemdelinge’ deur die postkoloniale staat. Onder inheemse Zimbabwiërs was hulle bekend as Mabhurandaya. Hierdie gemeenskappe het ’n integrale komponent van die Zimbabwiese sosiale, ekonomiese en politieke geskiedenis geword. Nieteenstaande die bogenoemde het die koloniale en postkoloniale staat migrante-afstammelinge, wat as geïsoleerde minderhede bestaan het, histories gemarginaliseer. Terselfdertyd het die Malawiese diasporiese gemeenskap individuele en kollektiewe bemiddeling aangewend om die veelvuldige uitdagings waarmee hulle in Zimbabwe gekonfronteer is, te bowe te kom. Hulle het hul eie geskiedenis gemaak en maniere gevind om hul menslikheid te handhaaf en uitdrukking daaraan te gee. Hulle ervarings was nie eenvormig van aard nie maar veelvlakkig, en is beïnvloed deur geslag, ouderdom, onderwyspeil, beroep en nedersetting. Dit was ook multidimensioneel en dikwels siklies van aard, en het gemanifesteer in ingewikkelde lewensiklusse van marginaliteit en bemiddeling oor tyd heen. Die tesis bied ’n kritiese en historiese ontleding van die bogenoemde dinamika en is empiries gefundeer in spesifieke gevallestudies regoor Zimbabwe.enMabhurandayaMigrationDiasporaMarginalityThesis (Ph.D. (Centre for Africa Studies))--University of the Free State, 2015ThesisUniversity of the Free State