'This volume traces the development of legal institutions in Zimbabwe during the colonial and post-colonial periods, suggesting that such institutions have played a key role in allowing the state to project its authority. Recent debates concerning judicial independence and the rule of law are also discussed.' Jessica Watson, Survival
List of figures; List of tables; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Laying down the law: a historical background, 1890–1950; 2. Customising justice and constructing subjects: state, 'customary law' and Chiefs' Courts, 1950–1980; 3. Legislating against dissent: law, race and politics, 1950–1964; 4. Legality without legitimacy: law and politics during UDI, 1965–1980; 5. Intermediaries, intellectuals and translators: African lawyers and the struggles in the legal arena, 1950–1980; 6. Law and transformation: remaking the legal system in postcolonial Zimbabwe, 1980–1990; 7. Continuity and consolidation: law and politics in Zimbabwe, 1980–1990; 8. 'The past as prologue': law and politics in Zimbabwe, 1997–2008; Conclusion; Bibliography.