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Organising Somalian, Congolese and Rwandan Migrants in a Time of Xenophobia in South Africa: Empirical and Methodological Reflections

Author

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  • Denys Uwimpuhwe

    (University of Western Cape)

  • Greg Ruiters

    (University of Western Cape)

Abstract

Xenophobic practices pervade civil society and the state in South Africa. But its victims are not passive. Academic scholarship has not sufficiently recognised the multiple roles of refugees and asylum seekers migrant organisations in a context where refugees are required to “self-settle”. The dominant methodological focus of existing research has been on the migrant as the individual. This paper’s main research objectives are to question this focus and examine evidence of the collective responses to struggles faced by foreign African migrants and refugee groups in Cape Town. Eleven refugee and asylum seeker associations formed by Somalians, Congolese and Rwandan asylum seekers and refugees were investigated, based on extensive interviews with 11 leaders of refugee organisations. These organisations not only strongly defend migrant interests but also project a long-term view of integration into South African society. In addition, the paper concludes by arguing for a shift in the focus of research in order to show that migrant organisations are crucial in an individual’s collective security concerns, in advocacy with government institutions and in initiatives to build relationships with South Africans.

Suggested Citation

  • Denys Uwimpuhwe & Greg Ruiters, 2018. "Organising Somalian, Congolese and Rwandan Migrants in a Time of Xenophobia in South Africa: Empirical and Methodological Reflections," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1119-1136, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:19:y:2018:i:4:d:10.1007_s12134-018-0586-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s12134-018-0586-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tengeh, Robertson Khan & Ballard, Harry & Slabbert, Andre, 2011. "Financing the Start-up and Operation of Immigrant-owned Businesses: the path taken by African Immigrants in the Cape Town Metropolitan Area of South Africa," MPRA Paper 38405, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 19 Dec 2011.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nyamnjoh, Henrietta & Hall, Suzanne & Cirolia, Liza Rose, 2022. "Precarity, permits, and prayers: “working practices” of Congolese asylum-seeking women in Cape Town," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 112734, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Matt Johnston & Dan Darkey & Hilde Ibsen, 2023. "Environmental Justice And Dissent For Postcolonial Urban Sustainability Transitions," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(4), pages 645-664, July.

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