Contested Class Hegemonies and the Limits of Ethnic Politics in Zambia: The Case of the 2021 Elections

Ethnic politics in Zambia is a function of the extent to which the petty bourgeoisie, who thrive largely on the ideology of tribalism, exercise strong hegemony over the other social classes in their respective ethnic groups. However, when other social classes challenge that hegemony, evidence from the Zambian experience shows that the pertinence of ethnicity as a political force is significantly reduced. The members of the petty bourgeoisie in Zambia have exercised hegemony over other social classes in the country’s post-colonial period after they successfully led the struggle for political independence. The petty bourgeoisie are, however, factionalised along ethnic lines, and the strength of each of the factions in the intra-petty bourgeois struggles depends on how much support the faction has within its ethnic group. This support has not always been assured, and the case of the 2021 elections is one such time. The United Party for National Development received votes in Patriotic Front strongholds because of the challenge to the hegemony of the petty bourgeoisie by the rich peasantry and the urban social classes, particularly the members of the déclassé, within the Bemba and Nyanja ethnic groups. This is not the only case: There are several other historical moments when such challenges have taken place producing results that did not re􀏔lect the dominance of ethnic factors. Among these are the support for Sata in the Lusaka District in the 2006, 2008 and 2011 elections.