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Carving the Nation: Zimbabwean Sculptors and the Contested Heritage of Aesthetics

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Abstract

Amid the world’s highest inflation, political chaos, rampant corruption, regular public health disasters, extraordinary personal suffering, and international critique, Zimbabwe still retains a cultural life struggling to survive. Indeed, one particular “product” of this southern African country retains international allure: its art. Zimbabwean stone sculptors are well known in international art markets, and prior to the current troubles, tourists and art dealers alike were their key consumers and disseminators. With its extraordinary international success, it is appropriate to speak of a Zimbabwean stone sculpture movement.

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Acknowledgments

I owe a huge debt of gratitude for the continued support of my advisor, Alma Gottlieb, relating to all things African. I greatly appreciate the comments of Virginia Dominguez, Susan Frankenberg, Tim Landry, Angela Glaros, Junjie Chen, Bjorn Westgard, and Helaine Silverman during various stages of writing. Jonathan Zilberg has generously provided very useful feedback on my research and writing, as well as contacts in Zimbabwe. The Center for African Studies at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign was extremely helpful in preparation leading to my 2008 summer trip to southern Africa, providing several years of Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowships. My summer research was made possible by grants from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign’s anthropology department and the Beckman Institute. A Baldwin Scholarship provided partial support for my 2001 research. Many artists and gallery owners assisted me over the years and this space is entirely too small to thank them all. Tatenda, maita basa.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Lance L. Larkin

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    Helaine Silverman

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Larkin, L.L. (2011). Carving the Nation: Zimbabwean Sculptors and the Contested Heritage of Aesthetics. In: Silverman, H. (eds) Contested Cultural Heritage. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7305-4_11

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