ZIMBABWEAN ACADEMIC BLESSING-MILES TENDI PROMOTED TO PROFESSOR AT OXFORD
Zimbabwean academic Blessing-Miles Tendi has been promoted to the rank of Professor of Politics at the University of Oxford, following the Social Sciences Division’s annual Recognition of Distinction.
Tendi is a Governing Body Fellow at St Antony’s College, Oxford, and teaches in the Department of Politics and International Relations and the African Studies Centre.
He is a leading scholar of Zimbabwean politics, with research focusing on political power, the military, liberation movements, state institutions and Zimbabwe’s political history.
His books include Making History in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe: Politics, Intellectuals and the Media (2010), The Army and Politics in Zimbabwe: Mujuru, the Liberation Fighter and Kingmaker (2020), and The Overthrow of Robert Mugabe: Gender, Coups, and Diplomats (2025).
Tendi has also published extensively in leading academic journals, including African Affairs and the Journal of Southern African Studies, with research examining Zimbabwe’s 2017 military coup, presidential succession, state intelligence and the country’s political history.
Oxford says the Recognition of Distinction is an annual process that confers the title of professor on academics who have made a significant and sustained contribution to the University’s work.
A significant milestone for a Zimbabwean scholar on the global academic stage.