Politics of Belonging in South Africa Since 2008

Abstract

Notions of belonging are problematic and they influence the behaviour of citizens in a nation-state. Politics and nationalism to a very large extent determine the participation of locals in every sector of the economy of a nation. Several groups crave for publicity and press home their demands by challenging government to improve on service delivery and improve their conditions of living. This is the present situation in post-apartheid South Africa, which has been embroiled in a series of anti-foreigner violence carried out by locals whose primary targets were Black African nationals and a few Asians, excluding white foreigners. These violent activities have been mainly confined to informal settlements. In 2008, South Africa sent strong signals to Africa and the rest of the world that the idea of belonging has to be redefined. Human mobility triggers contests for space and facilities-here social cohesion, social trust and social peace are compromised. This study examines certain factors which fuel acrimony between nationals and foreign nationals in South Africa and the wider socio-cultural meanings and implications of these incidences for their mutual coexistence. This thesis interrogates government’s response to the tensions before, during and after crises periods. The success or otherwise, responses elicited, and how outsiders have been treated will also be explored. Methodologically, a mixed method involving discourse analysis and qualitative analysis will be employed. Purposive sampling will be used to get participants for the study and would be drawn mainly from academicians, civil society, church leaders, diplomats, locals/ political leaders and foreign nationals.