The UK’s refugee deal with Rwanda: “Setting a catastrophic precedent” Article The UK’s plan to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda – even before their applications have been concluded – may have been halted this time, but the government is still pushing forward with its controversial plans. By Kirsten Krampe
Third Force Is the Anger of the Poor (May 2008) Between 11 and 25th May 2008, South Africa, a country with a long history of "othering" within its society, experienced the horrors of xenophobic violence. In those dark days some spoke of a third force instigating the violence. In this piece penned by Helga Jansen in 2008, she says the anger of the poor is the third force. By Helga Jansen
The Shops Are Burning, The Women Are Burning, The Climate is Burning: Connecting The Dots Analysis Just a few months ago, two cyclones (Kenneth and Idai) destroyed the homes and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people in parts of southern Africa. The cyclones, along with widespread drought, forced desperate people to migrate. But links between migrancy and xenophobia, violence against women and the growing climate crisis across southern Africa and well beyond have been largely neglected.
A Double Challenge: LGBTI Refugees and Asylum Seekers in South Africa (October 2018) Interview Queer African migrants who come up against the xenophobic and homophobic attitudes that are prevalent in South African society often experience the same kinds of social and economic marginalisation they had hoped to escape in their home countries.
Populations, Populism and Institutions – Explaining South Africa’s Xenophobic Violence (June 2015) South Africa has had its fair share of violence and xenophobia over the last decade and more. In 2015, Loren Landau wrote this piece on xenophobia following a wake of xenophobic violence in South Africa's townships. By Loren B Landau
Demons and Democracy: Positive Values and the Politics of Outsiderness in Contemporary South Africa While xenophobia may seem far removed from racial tensions, poverty, and public protest, how we understand and address these concerns is inseparable from the bias and violence against outsiders. At the root of these tensions is a discourse of citizenship and transformation that insists – often implicitly – on the categorization of people into a relatively homogenous, entitled majority and those for whom, by virtue of their experience, origins, or occupation, political recognition comes only by demonstrating their utility to a true and deserving political community. By Loren Landau
Double Jeopardy: Foreign and Female (May 2010) Against the backdrop of the pervasive culture of violence in South Africa, ‘it is ironic that xenophobia has been represented as something abnormal or pathological. Xenophobia is a form of violence and violence is the norm in South Africa. By Romi Sigsworth
Filmmakers Against Racism The Berlinale 2009 presented four movies from a South African project called 'Filmmakers Against Racism', which is supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation. Producer Don Edkins, whose film 'Taxi to the Dark Side' was awarded an Oscar in 2008, talks in an interview about the initiative and xenophobia in South Africa.
Interrogating the links between xenophobic attitudes, gender and male violence in Du Noon, Cape Town The intention of this report is to discuss the links between xenophobic attitudes, gender and male violence by focusing on discussions held with both South African and migrant women and men living in Du Noon, Cape Town. By Nadia Sanger
The Gendered Nature of Xenophobia in South Africa After the democratisation of South Africa in 1994, the influx of migrants from other African countries increased dramatically. Despite reconciliation initiatives, old patterns of racism (deeply rooted in the country’s apartheid past) combined with new forms of discrimination, such as xenophobia, have played out through the country’s period of political transition. By Romi Sigsworth, Collet Ngwane and Angelica Pino
