Abstract
The construction of Zimbabwean immigrant communities in Britain should not be solely analysed as a post-colonial contemporary phenomenon. Britain’s efforts to assist Black African students coupled with political instability were contributory factors which also led to the rise of a multiracial Zimbabwean immigrant community that peaked in the 1970s. The chapter explores the extent to which homeland influences of racial discrimination and the activities of the National Movement were significant factors in the construction of community relations. Focussing on diaspora political activism and integration patterns, the chapter draws comparisons with the post-independence Zimbabwean community in Britain. Although Zimbabwe’s independence ushered in a new beginning, the chapter also examines how civil conflict in Matabeleland, decline of the economy, rise in corruption and threats posed by the Apartheid South African government deterred a significant number from returning back home in 1980.
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Zembe, C.R. (2018). Rhodesian Discourse and Transnational Zimbabweans in Britain, 1970–1980. In: Zimbabwean Communities in Britain. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89683-0_8
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