Blair Rutherford

Blair Rutherford is a socio-cultural anthropologist whose research interests gravitate around the politics and possibilities of international development, particularly concerning “civil society” in sub-Saharan Africa.  Since 1992, he has principally applied this interest in regards to commercial farm workers in Zimbabwe.  He has been examining the economic strategies, institutional arrangements, and the constitutive cultural politics shaping current and former farm worker strategies to access resources, particularly land, during the on-going land redistribution exercise in Zimbabwe, including those moving to work on South African farms.  This research builds on his earlier  research exploring the varied social, economic and political impacts of programs for farm workers in Zimbabwe initiated by civil society organizations such as non-governmental organizations and trade unions.

Some of his research has supported an innovative multi-media project on a South African farm on the border with Zimbabwe, involving South African-American film-maker Thenjiwe Nkosi and the Dulibazimu Theatre Group, amongst others.  For more information, please see http://borderfarm.blogspot.com/.

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