Oddolne systemy pomocy społecznej we współczesnym Zimbabwe
Grassroots social welfare systems in contemporary Zimbabwe

Author(s): Marcin Brocki
Subject(s): Anthropology, Cultural history, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, 19th Century
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: social protection; local community; social institutions; Zimbabwe
Summary/Abstract: Community-based social protection systems have a long history in Africa, and due to the weakness of many states as institutions, they have not disappeared but have adapted their forms of functioning to the new tools of governance of the domains they cover and the new organization of social life. In this paper, I will aim to present grassroots social security systems that respond to environmental and economic problems as well as cultural challenges in contemporary Zimbabwe. These systems are institutionalized, often not in the sense of state-registered activities, but of sanctioned and socially stabilized forms of assistance. They can take the form of exchange of material goods, micro-investment support, mitigation of drought shocks, assistance with illness or burial, or mutual care for children. An important component of any form of aid organization is the remittances of economic migrants, so this form of support will receive more attention. I will try to identify the reasons for the systems’ resistance to changes taking place in social life (modernization) and the social and cultural effects of their progressive commercialization.

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