Paper short abstract:

Identity politics have dominated political discourse in Zimbabwe for decades since Independence. My paper explores the ways in which a young urban citizenry movement is engaging with social media to reshape state-society relationships and reframe conceptions of identity, citizenship, and belonging.

Paper long abstract:

In analysing Zimbabwean history, intellectuals have continued to highlight the critical nature of rural-urban linkages that have been pivotal in fuelling protests and urban-based movements in Zimbabwe for political change. My paper will explore how the 2016 uprisings and stay-aways mobilized by a young urban citizenry, have challenged the dominant national patriotic discourse that has characterised the nature of politics in Zimbabwe for many decades. My paper will focus on; the emerging alternative discourses and symbolism used in the mobilisation of these urban-based citizenry movements, the space these movements have occupied in attempting to depoliticise the political space by constructing a new form of patriotism and national identity which has for so long been missing in Zimbabwe, and the role that social media has played particularly in fostering diasporic engagement and political mobilisation for these movements in a new and dynamic way. I will also explore the potential avenues, if any, these movements can explore to foster deeper engagement amongst the rural populations which will be critical for their long-term survival and impact, as well as the implications this will have for the way forward in Zimbabwe.