In recounting their migration journey, references to nationality pervade the narratives of Zimbabweans in South Africa. Given the challenges many migrants confront based on their nationality, this presents a seeming paradox. This qualitative interview study, conducted with Zimbabwean migrants in two areas of Cape Town—Observatory and Dunoon—aims to elucidate the nuances of national self-descriptions in a demanding environment. Identifying as Zimbabwean serves as a sanctuary and a retreat, where alternative identifications often prove transient; embracing Zimbabweanness fosters an affirmative and positive self-perception, surpassing the limitations of other collective self-descriptions. Rather than pre-emptively characterizing a nationalist demeanour, the articulation of national self-description emerges as a strategic tool to navigate experiences of hostility and discrimination, while also asserting legitimate claims to equal opportunities. In this way, nationality takes a trajectory that diverges from conventional notions of nationality (and the ones of the nation-state or citizenship) as per Northern theory, contributing to alternative conceptualizations within the framework of the Global South.
Kögel
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Introduction: On unfamiliar territory.- Crossing borders in Southern Africa.- Doing research in postcolonial times.- Theoretical framework: Revising concepts of migration studies.- Finding ways to and in Cape Town: Challenges and mitigating factors.- Collective self-description: Actual, vague, and absent figures of identification.- The others: Comparisons to (other) collectives.- “It’s not easy if you are Zimbabwean”: Being Zimbabwean in South Africa.- Examining insider-outsider dynamics.- Nationality, citizenship, and belonging.- Conclusion: Paradoxes of nationality in theory and practice.
Johannes Kögel studied philosophy and sociology in Munich and Cape Town. He currently works as a research associate at the University of Munich (LMU München). He has conducted social research on diverse topics such as brain-computer interfaces, xenotransplantation, and migration in South Africa.
