Anyone who wants to understand Zimbabwe's current path to authoritarian rule would do well to begin with this richly-layered and thought-provoking study.

• Part 1 Conquest, eviction and nationalism: life in the "dark forests" - violence and images of the land, 1893-1930; the violence of the state - forced migration and its consequences; the violence of the state - the second colonial occupation; the rise of nationalist violence; the transition to guerilla war, 1962-76. Part 2 Wars and their legacies: the liberation war in the Shangani; guerillas and civilians; independence and the dissidents; civilian perspectives on the 1980s conflict; the politics of development after unity; resolving the legacies of war? accountability, commemoration and cleansing.