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XENOPHOBIA AND CITIZENSHIP IN MEG VANDERMERWE’S ZEBRA CROSSING
Corresponding Author(s) : Mustafa Mohammed Abdullah
Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews,
Vol. 8 No. 2 (2020): March
Abstract
Purpose of the study: In the past two decades several researchers have explored the concern of xenophobia in South African fiction. Studies sought to determine the reasons behind the prevalence of xenophobic violence in South Africa. Previous research on xenophobia claims that xenophobic violence is prevalent in the state is, in fact, due to economic and social reasons only. Yet, this article aims to correct the misconception of the Rainbow Nation that South Africa was supposed to have been achieved after 1994.
Methodology: The text Zebra Crossing (2013) by the South African novelist Meg Vandermerwe is under the focus. The concept of Michael Neocosmos of Citizenship from the postcolonial theory is applied to the selected text. A close reading of the text and qualitative research is the method of my analysis. The article will focus on the acts of violence reflected in the text in an attempt to find the reasons behind such acts. Neocosmos' valid conceptualization about the outbreaks of xenophobia in South Africa in the post-apartheid is applied to the selected text.
Main Findings: the article will conclude that the notion of the rainbow nation in South Africa is no more than a dream due to the outbreaks of xenophobia and the ongoing violence against foreigners. It will also prove that the continuous xenophobic violence in South Africa is not because of social or economic reasons only yet, there is a political discourse that engenders and triggers the natives to be more xenophobic. Thus, the state politics of exclusion, indigeneity, and citizenship are the stimuli for citizens to be more aggressive and violent against foreigners.
Applications of this study: the study will add new insight to the domain of English literature generally and the South African literature specifically. The study will be valuable in immigration literature as it deals with the plights of migrants in South Africa and their suffering from xenophobic violence. The study is located in the postcolonial approach.
Novelty/Originality of this study: the study offers new insight towards xenophobia in South Africa. The concept applied in the study has not been explored so far in the selected text. Previous research claimed that xenophobia in South Africa is due to economic and social reasons but did not focus on the legacies of postcolonialism nor the new political system. The study is original and new as it discusses an ongoing and worldwide phenomenon utilizing a new concept.
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- Adjai, C. and Lazaridis, G, (2013). Migration, xenophobia, and new racism in post-apartheid South Africa. International Journal of Social Science Studies, 1, 192. https://doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v1i1.102 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v1i1.102
- Ahluwalia, P. (2012). Politics and Post-Colonial Theory: African Inflections. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203187890 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203187890
- Baker, C., & Lund, P. (2017). The role of African fiction in educating about albinism and human rights. Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies, 11(3), 271-284. https://doi.org/10.3828/jlcds.2017.22 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3828/jlcds.2017.22
- Beinart, W., &Dubow, S. (Eds.). (1995). Segregation and apartheid in twentieth-century South Africa. Psychology Press.
- Bhatia, M.S. (2009). Dictionary of Psychology and Allied Sciences. New Age International, India.
- Bouckaert, P., 1998. Prohibited Persons: Abuse of Undocumented Migrants, Asylum-seekers, and Refugees in South Africa. Human Rights Watch.
- Buthelezi, M. G. (1997). Keynote Address by MG Buthelezi, MP, Minister Of Home Affairs, At The Southern African Migration Project’s Conference: “After Amnesty: The Future Of Foreign Migrants In South Africaâ€.
- Buxbaum, L., (2017). Representations of Xenophobia and Animalisation in Zebra Crossing, Zoo City and Wolf, Wolf. Journal of Literary Studies, 33(1), pp.78-93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02564718.2017.1290381 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02564718.2017.1290381
- Crush J. (2008) “South Africa: policy in the face of xenophobia†Migration Policy Institute.
- Crush, J., (2001). The dark side of democracy: Migration, xenophobia, and human rights in South Africa. International migration, 38(6), 103-133. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2435.00145 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2435.00145
- Crush, J., Ramachandran, S., & Pendleton, W. (2013). Soft targets: Xenophobia, public violence, and changing attitudes to migrants in South Africa after May 2008. © Southern African Migration Programme (SAMP). BronwenDachs Müller, Cape Town.
- Davis, E.S., (2013). New Directions in Postâ€Apartheid South African Fiction and Scholarship. Literature Compass, 10(10), 797-804. https://doi.org/10.1111/lic3.12098 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/lic3.12098
- Fanon, Frantz. (2008) .Black Skin White Mask. London, Pluto Press.
- Fanon, Frantz. (2007). The Wretched of the Earth. Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
- Harris, B. (2001). A foreign experience: violence, crime, and xenophobia during South Africa's transition (Vol. 5). Johannesburg: CSVR.
- Hopstock, N., & de Jager, N. (2011). Locals only: Understanding xenophobia in South Africa. Strategic Review for southern Africa, 33(1).
- Joubert, P., (2008). NAFCOC National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry calls for Somali Purge. Mail and Guardian, 5.
- Landau, L.B., (2013). Xenophobic demons linger in SA. Mail & Guardian17.
- Lipenga, K.J., and Ngwira, E., (2018) ‘Black on the inside’: albino subjectivity in the African novel.
- Mamdani, M. (1996). Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism. Princeton University Press.
- Marandi, S. M., Ramin, Z., &Shabanirad, E. (2017). Discourse, power, and resistance in Nadine Gordimer’s Occasion for Loving: A Foucaultian reading. 3L: Language, Linguistics, Literature®, 23(3. https://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2017-2303-03 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2017-2303-03
- Mario Matsinhe, D., (2011). Africa's Fear of Itself: the ideology of Makwerekwere in South Africa. Third World Quarterly, 32(2), pp.295-313. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2011.560470 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2011.560470
- Matsinhe, D.M., (2009). Cleaning the nation: anti-African patriotism and xenophobia in South Africa. https://doi.org/10.7939/R3MW72
- Misago, J. P., Freemantle, I., & Loren, L. B. (2015). Protection from xenophobia. Evaluation of UNHCR’s regional office for Southern Africa’s xenophobia related programs. UNHCR, Geneva.
- Monson, T., (2010). Report on the SAHRC Investigation into Issues of Rule of Law, Justice, and Impunity arising out of the 2008 Public Violence against Non-Nationals.
- Muchiri, G. R. (2016). Xenophobia: A critical study of the phenomenon and pragmatic solutions for South Africa (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pretoria).
- Naidoo, K. S. (2017). “Name Rhymes with Shameâ€: Representations of Migrant Women Protagonists in Selected African Texts (Doctoral dissertation).
- Neocosmos, M. (2010). From ‘Foreign Natives’ to ‘Native Foreigners’: Explaining. Xenophobia in Post-apartheid South Africa. Citizenship and Nationalism. Identity and Politics. Dakar: CODESRIfA.
- Neocosmos, M. (2008). The politics of fear and the fear of politics: reflections on xenophobic violence in South Africa. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 43(6), 587_598. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021909608096655 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0021909608096655
- Nyamjoh, F., (2006). Insiders and outsiders: Citizenship and xenophobia in contemporary Southern Africa, Dakar, London, and New York: CODESRIA and Zed Books. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350220775
- Saayman, S. (2016). Imagining the “otherâ€â€“The Representation of the African Migrant in Contemporary South African Literature. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 3(6), 72-80.
- Sinclair, M.R., 1999. "I know a place that is softer than this..."–Emerging Migrant Communities in South Africa. International Migration, 37(2), pp.465-483.Vandermerwe, Meg. 2013. Zebra Crossing. Umuzi, South Africa. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2435.00080 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2435.00080
- Vandermerwe, M. (2013). Zebra Crossing. Oneworld Publications.
References
Adjai, C. and Lazaridis, G, (2013). Migration, xenophobia, and new racism in post-apartheid South Africa. International Journal of Social Science Studies, 1, 192. https://doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v1i1.102 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v1i1.102
Ahluwalia, P. (2012). Politics and Post-Colonial Theory: African Inflections. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203187890 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203187890
Baker, C., & Lund, P. (2017). The role of African fiction in educating about albinism and human rights. Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies, 11(3), 271-284. https://doi.org/10.3828/jlcds.2017.22 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3828/jlcds.2017.22
Beinart, W., &Dubow, S. (Eds.). (1995). Segregation and apartheid in twentieth-century South Africa. Psychology Press.
Bhatia, M.S. (2009). Dictionary of Psychology and Allied Sciences. New Age International, India.
Bouckaert, P., 1998. Prohibited Persons: Abuse of Undocumented Migrants, Asylum-seekers, and Refugees in South Africa. Human Rights Watch.
Buthelezi, M. G. (1997). Keynote Address by MG Buthelezi, MP, Minister Of Home Affairs, At The Southern African Migration Project’s Conference: “After Amnesty: The Future Of Foreign Migrants In South Africaâ€.
Buxbaum, L., (2017). Representations of Xenophobia and Animalisation in Zebra Crossing, Zoo City and Wolf, Wolf. Journal of Literary Studies, 33(1), pp.78-93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02564718.2017.1290381 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02564718.2017.1290381
Crush J. (2008) “South Africa: policy in the face of xenophobia†Migration Policy Institute.
Crush, J., (2001). The dark side of democracy: Migration, xenophobia, and human rights in South Africa. International migration, 38(6), 103-133. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2435.00145 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2435.00145
Crush, J., Ramachandran, S., & Pendleton, W. (2013). Soft targets: Xenophobia, public violence, and changing attitudes to migrants in South Africa after May 2008. © Southern African Migration Programme (SAMP). BronwenDachs Müller, Cape Town.
Davis, E.S., (2013). New Directions in Postâ€Apartheid South African Fiction and Scholarship. Literature Compass, 10(10), 797-804. https://doi.org/10.1111/lic3.12098 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/lic3.12098
Fanon, Frantz. (2008) .Black Skin White Mask. London, Pluto Press.
Fanon, Frantz. (2007). The Wretched of the Earth. Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Harris, B. (2001). A foreign experience: violence, crime, and xenophobia during South Africa's transition (Vol. 5). Johannesburg: CSVR.
Hopstock, N., & de Jager, N. (2011). Locals only: Understanding xenophobia in South Africa. Strategic Review for southern Africa, 33(1).
Joubert, P., (2008). NAFCOC National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry calls for Somali Purge. Mail and Guardian, 5.
Landau, L.B., (2013). Xenophobic demons linger in SA. Mail & Guardian17.
Lipenga, K.J., and Ngwira, E., (2018) ‘Black on the inside’: albino subjectivity in the African novel.
Mamdani, M. (1996). Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism. Princeton University Press.
Marandi, S. M., Ramin, Z., &Shabanirad, E. (2017). Discourse, power, and resistance in Nadine Gordimer’s Occasion for Loving: A Foucaultian reading. 3L: Language, Linguistics, Literature®, 23(3. https://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2017-2303-03 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2017-2303-03
Mario Matsinhe, D., (2011). Africa's Fear of Itself: the ideology of Makwerekwere in South Africa. Third World Quarterly, 32(2), pp.295-313. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2011.560470 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2011.560470
Matsinhe, D.M., (2009). Cleaning the nation: anti-African patriotism and xenophobia in South Africa. https://doi.org/10.7939/R3MW72
Misago, J. P., Freemantle, I., & Loren, L. B. (2015). Protection from xenophobia. Evaluation of UNHCR’s regional office for Southern Africa’s xenophobia related programs. UNHCR, Geneva.
Monson, T., (2010). Report on the SAHRC Investigation into Issues of Rule of Law, Justice, and Impunity arising out of the 2008 Public Violence against Non-Nationals.
Muchiri, G. R. (2016). Xenophobia: A critical study of the phenomenon and pragmatic solutions for South Africa (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pretoria).
Naidoo, K. S. (2017). “Name Rhymes with Shameâ€: Representations of Migrant Women Protagonists in Selected African Texts (Doctoral dissertation).
Neocosmos, M. (2010). From ‘Foreign Natives’ to ‘Native Foreigners’: Explaining. Xenophobia in Post-apartheid South Africa. Citizenship and Nationalism. Identity and Politics. Dakar: CODESRIfA.
Neocosmos, M. (2008). The politics of fear and the fear of politics: reflections on xenophobic violence in South Africa. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 43(6), 587_598. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021909608096655 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0021909608096655
Nyamjoh, F., (2006). Insiders and outsiders: Citizenship and xenophobia in contemporary Southern Africa, Dakar, London, and New York: CODESRIA and Zed Books. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350220775
Saayman, S. (2016). Imagining the “otherâ€â€“The Representation of the African Migrant in Contemporary South African Literature. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 3(6), 72-80.
Sinclair, M.R., 1999. "I know a place that is softer than this..."–Emerging Migrant Communities in South Africa. International Migration, 37(2), pp.465-483.Vandermerwe, Meg. 2013. Zebra Crossing. Umuzi, South Africa. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2435.00080 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2435.00080
Vandermerwe, M. (2013). Zebra Crossing. Oneworld Publications.