Settlers, Sell-outs and Sons of the Soil: The Creation of Aliens in Zimbabwe and the Challenge for Higher Education

The contemporary colonial world is witnessing struggles for domination and existence
that have led to exclusion of some groups on the basis of parameters defined by the powerful.
This contribution observes practices and policies of belonging and exclusion developing in
Zimbabwe and argues that higher education should take the lead in discussing and proposing
citizenship education that would produce cosmopolitan patriots, responsible and tolerant citizens.
The discussion is a critical discourse analysis of dominant colonial forces of authoritarian
nationalism and neoliberalism supplemented by personal experience and engagement with
students and faculty at the Great Zimbabwe University. What has been observed is the failure of
civil society and state led programmes in this endeavour and the honours rests with higher
education institutions to develop citizenship education rooted in ideals that critique hegemonic
discourses. This demands a change in perspectival foci and this study advances the adoption of
anti-colonial liberationist perspectives as one of the options if an end to classification of citizens
as aliens and patriots is to come to an end.