“Soldiers in Exile”: Dr. Godfrey Maringira

Dr. Godfrey Maringira is the author of Soldiers and the State in Zimbabwe and an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Sol Plaatje University, South Africa.

Exploring the ways in which former soldiers maintain and ‘reuse’ their military training for survival, in contexts of violent inner cities with high unemployment, Dr. Maringira’s talk, “Soldiers in Exile,” will offer new insights into demilitarization and the need to assist former combatants.

Dr. Maringira received an African Fellows Award (formerly Young African Scholars) in 2015 for his project “Sex in War: When ‘Professional’ Soldiers Rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

About Soldiers and the State in Zimbabwe from Routledge:

“This book explores the barrack experiences of soldiers in post-independence Zimbabwe, examining the concept of military professionalism within a state in political crisis.

Drawing upon interviews with former soldiers of the Zimbabwe National Army, Soldiers and the State in Zimbabwe casts a light on the oppression of soldiers by commanders who sought to repress and control the political thinking of their men. By contextualizing the political, economic and material conditions in which Zimbabwean soldiers existed, Godfrey Maringira reveals the everyday victimisation and violence of the barracks. Exploring such events as the imposition of the Defense Act, the desertion of soldiers, and the 2017 military coup in Zimbabwe, the book presents and discusses the politicized nature of the military in post-independence Zimbabwe, and the political consequences of service in a state in deep political crisis.”