Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the unconventional economic situation under the hyperinflation in Zimbabwe and explores how people navigated the economic life by using the common sense, or naturalness, practicalness, thinness, immethodicalness, and accessibleness (Geertz 1983).

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores the common sense that could be glimpsed in the unconventional economic situation under the hyperinflation in Zimbabwe. It examines how people managed to navigate their economic life by using their common sense, or naturalness, practicalness, thinness, immethodicalness, and accessibleness (Geertz 1983).

Zimbabwe faced serious political and economic "crisis" after year 2000. From 2007 to 2009, the country eventually experienced hyperinflation, whose official rate eventually reached more than 200 million% annually. The economic life under the hyperinflation was characterized by rapid and seemingly disorderly market movement: The domestic currency could erode its value rapidly, and there were severe shortages of food, basic commodities, fuel, and cash of both domestic and foreign currency.

During such a situation, although people struggled to get by, there was some kind of order in their life. Many scholars have argued that the various survival strategies enabled people to adapt themselves to the unconventional environment. It is true that to focus on the emergence of the new and different way of doing things is important, however it would also be necessary to pay attention to what was unchanged despite the rapid economic and social change.

Showing the cases of people's economic activity and money usage under the hyperinflation and especially focusing on what could not be changed easily (sometimes in contradiction to economic rationality), this paper examines how the economy was sustained based on the people's common sense.