Land Expropriation in Ancient Rome and Contemporary Zimbabwe

About this book

"This book provides a comparative and critical study of the issues involving military veterans and land expropriation, focusing on the two cases of the client-army era of the first-century BC Roman Republic and contemporary Africa. Obert Bernard Mlambo centralizes culture and the body of the soldier, while examining the cultural production of images and representations of masculinity, to advance theoretical thoughts on war, masculinity and violence. His analysis of these historical and contemporary cases serves to identify the cultural logic that connects masculinity, violence and expropriation. Mlambo employs a transcultural comparative approach which is based on one constant found in both societies, namely land expropriation. Such appropriation takes place in the context of war-ingrained masculinities, often articulated within the overarching framework of patriarchy. In discussing the issue of claims for rewards or compensation for veterans in the context of war, and their consequences -- expropriation, confiscations, violence, etc. -- this book fosters a deeper understanding of these social processes, adding an important facet to the study of masculinities and military violence. What is revealed is that a non-Western cultural perspective can broaden the understanding of classics and can illuminate the discussion of veterans, war, masculinity, violence, land and gender in a classical culture."--