Journal of Law and Social Sciences

Editorial Comment

Cheela Chilala — 2025-10-28

Although diverse in disciplinary orientation, the five articles featured in Issue 4 of Volume 6 of the University of Zambia Journal of Law and Social Sciences converge around three thematic pillars. These are environmental consciousness and human agency, social justice and structural inequality, and the persuasive power of narrative

Grounds for Questioning Elections in Nigeria Emerging Jurisprudence and Legal Implications

O A Aso — 2025-10-28

This study thoroughly examines the legal dimensions surrounding the grounds underpinning election petitions in Nigeria. It elucidates the legal and procedural aspects that shape the landscape of electoral dispute resolution. Elections, a cornerstone of democratic governance, often generate disputes requiring judicial resolution. Nigeria has witnessed a history of contested elections, prompting a critical evaluation of the grounds for election petitions. The study employs descriptive research to comprehensively review relevant legal frameworks, statutes, and case law to identify critical areas where legal ambiguities, loopholes, or violations have given rise to challenges, focusing on the specific grounds that allow for filing election petitions. The analysis encompasses key issues of qualification, allegations of electoral malpractices, voter irregularities, and disputes over the interpretation and application of election laws. By analysing precedents and legal interpretations, the paper clarified the parameters that guide the initiation and adjudication of election petitions. In conclusion, this study offers a valuable analysis of the legal landscape and insights into the grounds for election petitions in Nigeria, providing an understanding of the legal and procedural frameworks underlying electoral dispute resolution. By identifying areas of improvement and potential reforms, the paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on enhancing the integrity and fairness of the electoral adjudicatory process in Nigeria.

Human Behaviour as Driver of Environmental Degradation and Climate Change in Joya's the Last Fishing Boat and Ojiofor's the Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Damiano N Kalinde — 2025-10-28

The term ‘Anthropocene’ calls our attention to rethink the role of human-caused climate change which is altering the earth’s environmental conditions. This article is concerned with highlighting the impact of human behaviour as driver of environmental degradation and climate change as portrayed in Ojiofor’s ‘The Boy who Harnessed the Wind’ and Joya’s ‘The Last Fishing Boat.’ The research is qualitative in nature. An Ecocritical approach is applied to the analysis of the texts alongside close reading. The focus is on various thematic concerns of Ecocriticism, particularly on how these two film scripts depict human behaviour as driver of environmental degradation and climate change. This research is concerned with how film scripts reveal how Malawians are depicted using various endowments of the environment signifying how humans rely on the environment for essential resources. At the same, the article is also interested on how the two films’ portrayal of how humans are at the mercy of nature, suffering the consequences of their actions which serves as a rich and multifaceted metaphor that invites reflection on environmental responsibility, human hubris, and the intricate relationship between humanity and the natural world. The article argues that the two film scripts’ portrayal of human action as the leading cause of environmental degradation thereby contributing to climate change, emphasises that while individuals enjoy the endowments of nature, ironically, they are the main culprits of destructors of the environment. In this case, the two film scripts contribute to sustainability narratives by showcasing characters and communities in Malawi engaging in practices that destroy the environment which if addressed may help in mitigation of environmental harm.

Dealing with Racial Discrimination Exploring the Coping Strategies Utilised by the Protagonist in Alice Walker's Meridian

Trevor Mwansa — 2025-10-28

Combating, eliminating and dealing with racial discrimination is not an easy undertaking. The historical and social-political space in which it is embedded somewhat intensifies its complexity. However, communal and individual efforts ought to be made in a bid to reduce and eradicate this negative issue. Drawing on Alice Walker’s Meridian, this article attempts to explore racial discrimination and the utilisation of coping strategies to deal with this problematic issue in the aforementioned novel. The stress and coping theory is central in the analysis as it provides insights into the specific coping strategies utilised by the main character in this narrative. Textual analysis was conducted anchored on the stress and coping theory during the collection of data and a thematic analysis was rendered afterwards. The principal findings of this research are that, Meridian utilises emotion focused, avoidance and problem focused strategies to deal with the recurring issue of racial discrimination. The wide range of strategies deployed enable her to cope, press on and deal with the various race-oriented challenges she encounters, highlighting the significance of individuals acquainting themselves with strategies of this nature.

Persuasion in Julius Chongo's Poceza M'Madzulo and Fumbi Khoboo

Gankhanani Moffat Moyo — 2025-10-28

The paper aims at exploring Julius Chongo’s use of pursuation in his written works. By focusing on four stories; two from Poceza M’madzulo which are ‘Fisi Wankhuli’ (The Greedy Hyena) and ‘Mkomwini Woba M’mphika’ (The Son in Law Who Stole from the Cooking Pot) and another two from Fumbi Khoboo! which are ‘Okoma akali Moyo’ (Those who Love when One Is still Alive) and ‘M’busa Oipa’ (The Evil Pastor), this paper uses the concept of rhetoric to examine the stories above and observes that Chongo uses persuasion to keep his audience engaged. He also employs the element of vividness more in stories that were transcribed from performed radio stories than those that were published. It is concluded that Chongo departed from the text to add more persuasive devices while performing the stories on radio.

The Artificiality of Linguistic Boundaries: Evidence from Multilingual Urban Discourses in Lusaka, Zambia

Kelvin Mambwe — 2025-10-31

The conventional understanding of languages has historically implied distinct demarcations between languages with predetermined contexts for usage. However, empirical evidence reveals that these linguistic boundaries are more fluid and malleable than previously assumed. Thus, this paper conducts a thorough analysis of linguistic data collected from various informal urban settings in Lusaka. The primary objective is to demonstrate how individuals amalgamate linguistic elements from diverse languages to establish a cohesive communication system that surpasses traditional linguistic constraints. Additionally, it emphasizes the unpredictable nature of language choices within specific domains, where conventional language forms are typically expected. This paper contends that the conventional concept of language domains inadequately captures the language practices of multilingual speakers across the varied social settings of Lusaka.

Spousal Violence and Spousal Education Difference in Zambia a Cross Sectional Comparative Analysis of Three Demographic Health Survey Cycles

Mwewa Elizabeth Kasonde — 2025-10-28

The study aimed to establish the association between spousal education difference and spousal violence among married women in Zambia. The article invokes individual women’s datasets from the 2007, 2013-14 and 2018 Zambia Demographic and Health Surveys (ZDHSs). Currently married women 15-49 years of age who had responded to the domestic violence module formed the core of the sample (2007: 3,216; 2013-14: 7.069; 2018:5,338). Multivariate binary logistic regression was performed to establish the association between spousal violence and spousal education differences and other factors. Adjusting for if a woman’s father “ever beat her mother” and for the notion that “wife beating is justifiable”, in survey years 2013-14 and 2018, women who had equally high education level as their husbands were less likely to have experienced spousal violence (aOR=0.81, p<0.05 and aOR=0.75, p<0.01 respectively) compared with those equally low educated. Other factors that associated with experience of spousal violence include if a woman is/was working, living in urban area, witnessing father beat mother, and acceptance of wife beating for any reason. Increasing education level attained by men and women is not a sufficient intervention to reducing spousal violence. Thus, addressing acceptance of beliefs that wife beating is justified under certain circumstances and parental physical violence which often are subtle and silent in perpetuating spousal violence in Zambia is critical.