The social act of exchange in power relations: The study of the phenomenon of Nichekeleko at the weighbridges in Zambia
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Date
2017
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
CODESRIA
Abstract
This article examines the widely practiced phenomenon of Nichekeleko at the Weighbridges
(WBs) in Zambia. The commonly held understanding of Nichekeleko by the Zambian people is
that, it is corruption; ranging from bribery, theft, embezzlement, gratification to favouritism.
Sociologically, the phenomenon was conceived as a social act of exchange within the context
of power relations by the actors who engage in it. Foucault�s notion of power relations and
Bourdieu�s concepts of �practice� and �fields�� provided the theoretical framework for the study.
Power was considered as a system, and a network of relations, encompassing the whole society
than a relation between the oppressed and the oppressor. Methodologically, this study was based
on mixed method research; the large part of it involving participant- observation, interviews
and administering of questionnaires
The argument in this paper is that failure to analyse corruption from a linguistic and
philosophical perspective implied in �Nichekeleko� reduces the practice to mere violation of the
law or moral rules. A much closer look at corruption from a language vantage point provides us
with essential dimensions of the practice, why, and how it has persisted in Zambia
Description
Keywords
Corruption, Nichekeleko, Power relations, Social act of Exchange, Practice
Citation
Phiri, C. (2017). The social act of exchange in power relations: The study of the phenomenon of Nichekeleko at the weighbridges in Zambia. African Sociological Review, 21(2): 100 - 114