Surviving social exclusion: Zimababwean migrants in Johannesburg, South Africa

The thesis analyses forms and levels of social exclusion of Zimbabwean migrants in the South African labour market and society. The research reveals that migrants face social exclusion through unruly practices of public officials and institutional bias. At com...

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Main Author: Hungwe, Chipo
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of South Africa (Unisa) 2016
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Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1857
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author Hungwe, Chipo
author_facet Hungwe, Chipo
author_sort Hungwe, Chipo
collection DSpace
description The thesis analyses forms and levels of social exclusion of Zimbabwean migrants in the South African labour market and society. The research reveals that migrants face social exclusion through unruly practices of public officials and institutional bias. At community and individual level migrants are devalued and stigmatised by the local South Africans and other Zimbabwean migrants. To some extent Zimbabwean migrants participate in their own exclusion as they are divided along regional and ethnic lines. The thesis proposes an analytical framework for understanding the social exclusion of Zimbabwean migrants emphasising on how devaluation of migrant identity narrows the existing structure of opportunity, leading to various coping mechanisms some of which are deviant. The thesis proposes a moral and pragmatic view in understanding the social exclusion of migrants from a cosmopolitan perspective where migrants are citizens of a global world. Using a qualitative methodology the research provides an in-depth analysis of the life histories of fifty eight (58) ‘documented’ and undocumented’ Zimbabwean men and women in Kempton Park and Tembisa. The research was carried out in 2012. Migrants respond to social exclusion by using social capital in the form of family/kinship, ethnic and church networks. Zimbabweans mainly rely on bonding rather than bridging social capital. To a greater extent, migrant networks help them to ‘get by’ and simply survive. The few that have managed to ‘get ahead’, have made use of networks with South African residents and other individuals outside their migrant network systems. These have facilitated acquisition of fake identity documents, jobs and other necessities. Family networks are beginning to repel migrants because of the economic pressures they face leading to the weakening of ties among Zimbabwean migrant family members.
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spelling ir-11408-18572022-06-27T13:49:07Z Surviving social exclusion: Zimababwean migrants in Johannesburg, South Africa Hungwe, Chipo Asylum; Church; Devaluation; Discrimination; F amily, Friends; Migrants; Permit; Social Capital; Social Exclusion; Social Networks; Xenophobia; Zimbabweans. The thesis analyses forms and levels of social exclusion of Zimbabwean migrants in the South African labour market and society. The research reveals that migrants face social exclusion through unruly practices of public officials and institutional bias. At community and individual level migrants are devalued and stigmatised by the local South Africans and other Zimbabwean migrants. To some extent Zimbabwean migrants participate in their own exclusion as they are divided along regional and ethnic lines. The thesis proposes an analytical framework for understanding the social exclusion of Zimbabwean migrants emphasising on how devaluation of migrant identity narrows the existing structure of opportunity, leading to various coping mechanisms some of which are deviant. The thesis proposes a moral and pragmatic view in understanding the social exclusion of migrants from a cosmopolitan perspective where migrants are citizens of a global world. Using a qualitative methodology the research provides an in-depth analysis of the life histories of fifty eight (58) ‘documented’ and undocumented’ Zimbabwean men and women in Kempton Park and Tembisa. The research was carried out in 2012. Migrants respond to social exclusion by using social capital in the form of family/kinship, ethnic and church networks. Zimbabweans mainly rely on bonding rather than bridging social capital. To a greater extent, migrant networks help them to ‘get by’ and simply survive. The few that have managed to ‘get ahead’, have made use of networks with South African residents and other individuals outside their migrant network systems. These have facilitated acquisition of fake identity documents, jobs and other necessities. Family networks are beginning to repel migrants because of the economic pressures they face leading to the weakening of ties among Zimbabwean migrant family members. 2016-10-30T12:26:56Z 2016-10-30T12:26:56Z 2013 Thesis uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/10500/13181/1/thesis_hungwe_c.pdf http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1857 en none University of South Africa (Unisa)
spellingShingle Asylum; Church; Devaluation; Discrimination; F amily, Friends; Migrants; Permit; Social Capital; Social Exclusion; Social Networks; Xenophobia; Zimbabweans.
Hungwe, Chipo
Surviving social exclusion: Zimababwean migrants in Johannesburg, South Africa
title Surviving social exclusion: Zimababwean migrants in Johannesburg, South Africa
title_full Surviving social exclusion: Zimababwean migrants in Johannesburg, South Africa
title_fullStr Surviving social exclusion: Zimababwean migrants in Johannesburg, South Africa
title_full_unstemmed Surviving social exclusion: Zimababwean migrants in Johannesburg, South Africa
title_short Surviving social exclusion: Zimababwean migrants in Johannesburg, South Africa
title_sort surviving social exclusion: zimababwean migrants in johannesburg, south africa
topic Asylum; Church; Devaluation; Discrimination; F amily, Friends; Migrants; Permit; Social Capital; Social Exclusion; Social Networks; Xenophobia; Zimbabweans.
url http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1857
work_keys_str_mv AT hungwechipo survivingsocialexclusionzimababweanmigrantsinjohannesburgsouthafrica