New Pentecostal Churches, Politics and the Everyday Life of University Students at the University of Zimbabwe
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NEW PENTECOSTAL CHURCHES, POLITICS AND THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE Town SIMBARASHE GUKURUMECape GKRSIM001of THESIS PRESENTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY University DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY FEBRUARY 2018 SUPERVISORS: DR ILANA VAN WYK AND PROFESSOR DEBORAH POSEL The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derivedTown from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes Capeonly. of Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University Plagiarism Declaration “This thesis/dissertation has been submitted to the Turnitin module (or equivalent similarity and originality checking software) and I confirm that my supervisor has seen my report and any concerns revealed by such have been resolved with my supervisor.” Name: Simbarashe Student number: GKRSIM001 Signature: Date: 17/02/2018 i | P a g e Dedication To my late mother and grandmother. You both taught me that through hard work and resilience you can achieve anything and everything. I dedicate this thesis to you and I know wherever you are, you are smiling down and proud of me. ii | P a g e Abstract In the past 15 years, there has been a concerted ‗Pentecostalisation‘ of university spaces in Africa. Despite enormous growth in Pentecostal Charismatic Church membership and activities on African university campuses, and its attendant implications for academic and everyday life, there is hardly any study that explores this phenomenon. Thus, little is known about the complex entanglements between religion, politics and the dynamics of the everyday within the university campus and how this mediates students‘ subjectivities. This thesis examines the lived experiences and everyday lives of university students at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ). The thesis is based on the narratives of students drawn through a qualitative methodology and more particularly, through participant observation, semi-structured and in- depth interviews over 15 months. Findings in this study revealed that university students convert and sign-up for new Pentecostal Charismatic Churches (PCCs) because they were imagined as spaces through which young people could forge supportive economic and social networks. PCCs‘ gospel of prosperity and ‗spiritual warfare‘ technologies were also deeply attractive to students who were caught in the hopelessness and uncertainty wrought by the country‘s protracted socio-economic and political crisis. In this context, PCCs cultivate a sense of hope and optimism. However, although new PCCs reconfigure young people‘s orientation to the future, many PCC promises remain elusive. The entrance of PCCs onto this university campus has also lead to institutional conflict as new churches struggle against the entrenched historical privilege of mainline churches- and the political influence of their followers in university management. New PCCs on the UZ campus have also become heavily involved in student and national politics, which further complicates their relationship with the university and the state. This thesis demonstrates the extent to which faith permeates every aspect of university experience for those who subscribe to its Pentecostal forms. I argue in this thesis that these complex linkages between faith and university life are mediated by the wider politics of the country, including linkages between the state and the university. iii | P a g e Acknowledgements There are a lot of people who played a big part to make this thesis possible. First and foremost, I would like to thank the Lord for guiding me through this process and for the good health to keep me going until the finish line. I am equally deeply indebted to my interlocutors, all those who participated in this study-students and workers at the university of Zimbabwe. It is your stories, testimonies and experiences that you generously shared with me which made this thesis what it is. I would like to highlight that behind every completed and successful PhD are very dedicated, committed and tireless supervisors-my thesis would not have been completed without their unfailing commitment and intellectual astuteness. To my super-star supervisors; Dr Ilana van Wyk and Professor Deborah Posel, I could not have asked for any better supervisors, it was your patient, rigorous grilling, your encouragement and benevolent efforts which pushed me to the wire. Thank you very much for being patient with me and for stretching me beyond what I thought were my limits. HUMA has not only been my second home, but also a very stimulating and engaging academic space for me. Thank you, my family, at HUMA for the institutional support and for the generous scholarship. Heather, Rifqah, Zethu, Shamil, Samaila Suleiman, Justin, Nokwanda, Lindy-Lee, Nkululeko, B and John- you made me feel at home all the time and your support is greatly appreciated. Many thanks also go to the Social Science Research Council Next Generation Social Science in Africa Fellowship and the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation for financial support during my fieldwork. I would also like to express my dearest gratitude to my best friend and beautiful wife, Fiona Tafadzwa Matsika for enduring several years of loneliness and taking care of our lovely beautiful daughter Lilian Tadisa with such distinction. You are my biggest cheerleader and I will forever be indebted to you for your unfailing support when the chips were down and for believing in me. You are such a blessing and I could not have asked for a better wife. To Lilian, my gorgeous little daughter and my boy Liam- you were always a motivation and joy to watch despite the tantrums, which kept me going late into the night working while, you watched cartoons. To my social and intellectual brothers, Dr Godfrey Maringira, Dr Obvious Katsaura, thank you very much for your material, intellectual support and your unfailing generosity-your hospitality all the time I visited in Johannesburg and Cape Town was out of this world. You always accommodated me at no cost when I came to South Africa even without notice. Vana gulez vangu, mai Maka and mai Tabo, I cannot thank you enough for your five star hospitality. I cannot forget my other brothers Felix Tombindo and Munatsi Shoko for the last minutes formatting and all my Great Zimbabwe University colleagues for always urging me on. I also want to thank my friends Simbarashe Mutero, Pardon, Innocent, Caven, and Clemence who have always believed in me. The University of Zimbabwe Sociology department staff, the secretary Dausi, the tutors, Benjy Gwelo, Munodawafa, Ganda, Bakili, Choto, Brenda, Murisi and all the lecturers in the department. Thank you very much for your welcoming hospitality and the tutors-you always accommodated me in your small office and connected me to potential participants at any given chance. iv | P a g e Table of Contents Dedication ................................................................................................................................... i Abstract .................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... iv Table of Figures ..................................................................................................................... viii List of Abbreviations .......................................................................................................... viii Chapter One: Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1 Main Research Question ........................................................................................................ 2 Sub-Questions ..................................................................................................................... 2 Rationale................................................................................................................................. 2 Summary of Thesis Findings and Arguments ........................................................................ 6 New Pentecostal Charismatic Churches (PCCs) .................................................................... 9 Ethnographic Reflexivity ..................................................................................................... 12 The University of Zimbabwe ............................................................................................... 14 National politics, religiosity and the UZ campus ................................................................. 17 UFIC, PHD and Spirit Embassy on UZ campus .................................................................. 21 Epistemological Tensions: UFIC, PHD and Spirit Embassy on campus ............................. 26 Chapter Outline: Organisation of Thesis .............................................................................. 27 Chapter Two: Methodology ..................................................................................................... 30 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 30 Researching PCCs ...............................................................................................................