Deconstruction of Social Conflicts that Emerge Between the State and Traditional Authorities over Village Urbanisation: The Case of Sinda District in Zambia

This article presents a typology of conflicts between the State and Chewa Royal Establishment over village urbanisation in Sinda District, Zambia. Based on lived experiences of leaders, officials, experts, and community members, the study identified four distinct conflict types: (1) Procedural and Consultation, (2) Land and Resource, (3) Authority and Legitimacy, and (4) Cultural Protocol. This study relied on Weberian tripartite (class, status and assumptions/party) theoretical guidance in navigating round the nuances of social conflicts between the two centres of power. Using an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design grounded in pragmatism and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the research shows multi-dimensional tensions between state and traditional authority in rapid urbanisation. This article is focused on the qualitative side the nature of conflicts. The study's findings show that social conflicts between the State and CRE came from poorly run government institutions. These resulted in procedural deficiencies, cultural insensitivity, conflicting governance, and historical power disparities between the two centers of authority. This conflict typology provides a framework for comprehending conflicts that can inform the development of conflict mitigation strategies at the intersection of state and traditional authority, particularly in post-colonial African countries navigating the tension between modernity and tradition. The research enhances academic discourse on state/traditional authority governance, land tenure (leasehold/customary), conflict resolution, and sustainable development by providing empirical insights into communities situated between the two systems of authority.