This article critically examines the meaning of the concept of civil society with reference to Zimbabwe. This is done against the background of renewed scholarly interest in the impact of state-society relations on the process of democratization in the Third World. Looking at civil society and the state as intertwining parts of the same social reality, the article argues that civil society in Zimbabwe, especially in the Black community, is in a state of chronic underdevelopment as a result of historical factors related to pre- and post-independence politics. These factors include the value premises of colonial institutions, African tradition and the liberation war, all of which have had decisive influences in shaping and constraining the development of civil society in Zimbabwe.
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