The University of Sheffield
Department of Geography

Liberty Mupakati

Liberty Mupakati

Reparation and Inequality through different Diasporas: The case of the Zimbabwean Diaspora in the United Kingdom and South Africa
 Supervisors: Dr Deborah Sporton and Dr Chasca Twyman

Funded through The University of Sheffield Fee Waiver

BA Economic History and Geography, University of Zimbabwe (1994)
Postgraduate Diploma in Water Supply and Sanitation, Institute of Water and Sanitation Development, Zimbabwe (1999)
MSc Public Policy and Programme Management, University of Bradford (2008)

This research project investigates the origins, formation and articulation of the Zimbabwean Diaspora in the UK and South Africa. It will also seek to explore the potential role that the Zimbabwean Diaspora can play in the repair and reconstruction of the country of their birth.

Zimbabwe has witnessed unprecedented out migration with a third of its population estimated to have left. The UK and South Africa are thought to be home of the majority of these émigrés. Whilst the political and socio-economic problems currently afflicting Zimbabwe are well documented, not much has been written about the daily struggles of those that have left as they struggle to negotiate their lives in their new locales.

This project seeks to delve deeper into the lived experiences of such people and examine how the obligations and expectations of materially supporting those left behind, who are currently mired in deep seated poverty, has left them exposed to multiple vulnerabilities and inequalities which have been exacerbated by lack of legal statuses amongst others. Social capital is touted as the glue that holds societies together and this project seeks to explore its role in the complex migration patterns of Zimbabweans as well as the interconnectedness of the lives of those Zimbabweans in the diaspora and those at home

Objectives of the Research

  1. To investigate and compare the profiles of the Zimbabwean diaspora in the UK and SA
  2. To examine the role of social capital in migration flows and the complex connections with livelihoods of those left behind
  3. To explore the potential implications of the findings of objectives 1 and 2 for the future voluntary return of Zimbabweans currently living in the United Kingdom and South Africa

Research Interests

Contact Details

Address: A5, Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Winter Street, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
Tel: +44 (0)114 222 7973
Fax: +44 (0)114 222 7907
Email: L.Mupakati@sheffield.ac.uk