When Piety Is Not Enough: Religio-Political Organizations in Pursuit of Peace and Reconciliation in Zimbabwe

In post-independence Zimbabwe, religion has been associated with piety and acquiescence rather than radical confrontation. This has made it look preposterous for religious leaders to adopt seemingly radical and confrontational stances in pursuit of peace and reconciliation. Since the early 2000s, a...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Tarusarira, Joram (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: MDPI [2020]
In: Religions
Year: 2020, Volume: 11, Issue: 3
Further subjects:B mainstream churches
B Zimbabwe
B Piety
B religio-political nonconformism
B Politics
B peace and reconciliation
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)

MARC

LEADER 00000caa a22000002 4500
001 1727128575
003 DE-627
005 20210127093255.0
007 cr uuu---uuuuu
008 200817s2020 xx |||||o 00| ||eng c
024 7 |a 10.3390/rel11050235  |2 doi 
035 |a (DE-627)1727128575 
035 |a (DE-599)KXP1727128575 
040 |a DE-627  |b ger  |c DE-627  |e rda 
041 |a eng 
084 |a 1  |a 0  |2 ssgn 
100 1 |e VerfasserIn  |0 (DE-588)1190134810  |0 (DE-627)1668859963  |4 aut  |a Tarusarira, Joram 
109 |a Tarusarira, Joram 
245 1 0 |a When Piety Is Not Enough  |b Religio-Political Organizations in Pursuit of Peace and Reconciliation in Zimbabwe 
264 1 |c [2020] 
336 |a Text  |b txt  |2 rdacontent 
337 |a Computermedien  |b c  |2 rdamedia 
338 |a Online-Ressource  |b cr  |2 rdacarrier 
520 |a In post-independence Zimbabwe, religion has been associated with piety and acquiescence rather than radical confrontation. This has made it look preposterous for religious leaders to adopt seemingly radical and confrontational stances in pursuit of peace and reconciliation. Since the early 2000s, a new breed of religious leaders that deploy radical and confrontational strategies to pursue peace has emerged in Zimbabwe. Rather than restricting pathways to peace and reconciliation to nonconfrontational approaches such as empathy, pacifism, prayer, meditation, love, repentance, compassion, apology and forgiveness, these religious leaders have extended them to demonstrations, petitions and critically speaking out. Because these religious leaders do not restrict themselves to the methods and strategies of engagement and dialogue advocated by mainstream church leaders, mainstream church leaders and politicians condemn them as nonconformists that transcend their religious mandate. These religious leaders have redefined and reframed the meaning and method of pursuing peace and reconciliation in Zimbabwe and brought a new consciousness on the role of religious leaders in times of political violence and hostility. Through qualitative interviews with religious leaders from a network called Churches in Manicaland in Zimbabwe, which emerged at the height of political violence in the early 2000s, and locating the discussion within the discourse of peace and reconciliation, this article argues that the pursuit of peace and reconciliation by religious actors is not a predefined and linear, but rather a paradoxical and hermeneutical exercise which might involve seemingly contradictory approaches such as “hard” and “soft” strategies. Resultantly, religio-political nonconformism should not be perceived as a stubborn departure from creeds and conventions, but rather as a phenomenon that espouses potential to positively change socio-economic and political dynamics that advance peace and reconciliation. 
650 4 |a Zimbabwe 
650 4 |a mainstream churches 
650 4 |a peace and reconciliation 
650 4 |a Piety 
650 4 |a Politics 
650 4 |a religio-political nonconformism 
773 0 8 |i Enthalten in  |t Religions  |d Basel : MDPI, 2010  |g 11(2020,5) Artikel 235  |h Online-Ressource  |w (DE-627)665435797  |w (DE-600)2620962-7  |w (DE-576)348219067  |x 2077-1444  |7 nnns 
773 1 8 |g volume:11  |g year:2020  |g number:3 
856 |u https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/11/5/235/pdf?version=1589769957  |x unpaywall  |z Vermutlich kostenfreier Zugang  |h publisher [oa journal (via doaj)] 
856 4 0 |u https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/11/5/235  |x Verlag 
856 |u https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11050235  |x doi  |3 Volltext 
936 u w |d 11  |j 2020  |e 3  |y 11(2020,5) Artikel 235 
951 |a AR 
ELC |a 1 
LOK |0 000 xxxxxcx a22 zn 4500 
LOK |0 001 374044617X 
LOK |0 003 DE-627 
LOK |0 004 1727128575 
LOK |0 005 20200817084717 
LOK |0 008 200817||||||||||||||||ger||||||| 
LOK |0 040   |a DE-Tue135  |c DE-627  |d DE-Tue135 
LOK |0 092   |o n 
LOK |0 852   |a DE-Tue135 
LOK |0 852 1  |9 00 
LOK |0 935   |a ixzs  |a ixzo 
OAS |a 1 
ORI |a SA-MARC-ixtheoa001.raw 
REL |a 1 
SUB |a REL