ABSTRACT
Zimbabwe burst onto the global scene in 1980 after nearly one hundred years of colonial and white-settler rule and after a lengthy liberation war. Women who had actively supported the liberation war were mobilized in politics, education and civil society; an inclusive government seemed to support people-centered development and the common good. The nation seemed well-positioned for success with developed agricultural and manufacturing sectors. A feminist reading of women's activism and the organizations they created to focus on gender issues reveals the dynamics of social change and bipolar development in Zimbabwe. Thirty-five years after independence Zimbabwe has failed to prosper. The Zimbabwean women's struggles for independence and human development include a commingled history of struggle against tradition and colonial oppression, as well as women's participation in the liberation war. It supports free primary education and women's rights.
