This book brings together contributions that analyse different ways in which migration and xenophobia have been mediated in both mainstream and social media in Africa and the meanings of these different mediation practices across the continent. It is premised on the assumption that the media play an important role in mediating the complex intersection between migration, identity, belonging, and xenophobia (or what others have called Afrophobia), through framing stories in ways that either buttress stereotyping and Othering, or challenge the perceptions and representations that fuel the violence inflicted on so-called foreign nationals. The book deals with different expressions of xenophobic violence, including both physical and emotional violence, that target the foreign Other in different African countries.
Author(s): Dumisani Moyo, Shepherd Mpofu
Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 394
City: Cham
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
Part I Conceptualising Xenophobia, Migration and Media
1 Mediation, Migration and Xenophobia: Critical Reflections on the Crisis of Representing the Other in an Increasingly Intolerant World
Introduction
Part I: Concepts and Methodologies
Part II: Framing of Xenophobia in the Media
Part III: Belonging and Identity
Part IV: The Social Media and Migration
References
2 Defying Empirical and Causal Evidence: Busting the Media’s Myth of Afrophobia in South Africa
Introduction
Afrophobia and Xenophobia: What Is the Difference?
Reporting on Afrophobia in the South African Press
General Reporting on (Im)Migration and Xenophobia
Afrophobia Reporting
Conclusion: Why Is Afrophobia so Widely Accepted?
References
3 Talk Radio and the Mediation of Xenophobic Violence in South Africa
Introduction
History and Context: Xenophobia and Migration in South Africa
Radio in South Africa
Theoretical Intervention
Methodological Approach
Findings
Host/Caller Interaction
The Host as the Mediator/Gatekeeper
The Host as the Voice of Authority
Caller to Caller Interaction
Discourses and Frames
Negative Frames of African Foreigners
Moderate Narratives
Conclusion
References
4 Media, Migrants and Movement: A Comparative Study of the Coverage of Migration Between Two Pairs of Sub-Saharan Countries
Introduction and Contextual Framework
Coverage of Migration in the Media
Making a Case for Zimbabwe–South Africa and Tanzania–Kenya
Methodology
How We Sourced the Stories for Analysis
The Media We Analysed
What We Analysed in Each Story
Limitations of the Methodology
Research Findings
The Media’s Coverage of Migration Between Zimbabwe and South Africa
What Were the Main Topics in the Migration Coverage?
What Were the Main Messages Put Forward in the Stories?
Which Sources Were Accessed in the Media Coverage?
What Was the Racial Breakdown of Those Accessed in the Coverage?
What Was the Gender Breakdown of Those Accessed in the Coverage?
Summary Remarks for the South African–Zimbabwean Analysis
The Media’s Coverage of Migration Between Kenya and Tanzania
What Were the Main Topics in the Coverage of Migration?
What Were the Main Messages Covered in the Stories?
Who Was Accessed in the Coverage?
What Was the Racial Breakdown of Those Accessed in the Coverage?
What Was the Gender Breakdown of Those Accessed in the Coverage?
Summary Remarks for the Kenyan–Tanzanian Analysis
Discussion
Levels of Coverage
What Do We Hear in Migration Stories?
Conclusion
References
5 Knowledge, the Media and Anti-immigrant Hate Crime in South Africa: Where Are the Connections?
Introduction
The Influence of the Media
The South African Context
The Data Employed
Research Results
Discussion
Conclusion
References
6 Quantitative Linguistic Analysis of Representations of Immigrants in the South African Print Media, 2011–2015
Conceptualising Quantitative Approaches to Immigration Representation Studies
Designing an Appropriate Quantitative Method
Terminology and Phraseology in Studies of the Representations of Immigrants in the Media
Data Sourcing and Initial Preparation
Descriptive Statistics on Representation of Immigrants in the SA Media, 2011–2015
Quantitative Linguistic Analysis of the Combined Five-Year Data, 2011–2015
Quantitative Linguistic Analysis of 2011 Media Content Data
Quantitative Linguistic Analysis of 2012 Media Content Data
Quantitative Linguistic Analysis of 2013 Media Content Data
Quantitative Linguistic Analysis of 2014 Media Content Data
Quantitative Linguistic Analysis of 2015 Media Content Data
Interpreting Quantitative Media Representations of Immigrants in South Africa, 2011–2015
References
Part II Framing the Other—From Outside Looking In
7 Xenophobia, the Media and the West African Integration Agenda
Introduction
Xenophobia: An Overview
The ECOWAS Integration Project on the Free Movement of Persons
Regionalism and the Reality of Xenophobia in West Africa
Xenophobia in Ghana
Xenophobia in Côte d’Ivoire
Xenophobia and the Place of the Media
Conclusion
References
8 National Identity and Representation of Xenophobia in Mozambican Private and Public Television
Introduction
Media and Prevailing Negative Narratives Against Migrants in South Africa
‘Moral Panic’ and Social Representations Theory (SRT)
Xenophobia and National Identity
Alternative Theories and Inclusive Media Narratives
Methodology
Mozambican Media Coverage of Xenophobic Events in South Africa
MTV Video 1: Xenophobia, Broadcast on 15 April 20151
MTV Video 2: Victims of Xenophobia, Broadcast on 17 April 20152
MTV Video 3: Survivors of the Xenophobia, Broadcast on 20 April 20153
MTV Video 4: Victims of Xenophobia, Broadcast on 22 April 20154
TVM Video 1: President of Mozambique Shocked by Xenophobic Events, Broadcast on 20 April 20155
TVM Video 2: Parliament Demands Action on Xenophobic Events in SA, Broadcast on 8 May 20156
TVM Video 3: Conference About Xenophobia, Broadcast on 31 May 2015
TVM Video 4: Mozambicans Apprehensive After Looting and Destruction of Property, Broadcast on 4 February 20157
Discussion
Media as an Opportunity to Promote Inclusive Understanding of Transnational Crises
Media as a Platform to Advance Narratives of Pacification and Hope in Moments of Crisis
Private and Public Media: Anchoring of Official Support in Moments of Crisis
Conclusion
References
9 ‘They Are Vampires, Unlike Us’: Framing of South African Xenophobia by the Nigerian Press
Introduction
The Construction of ‘the Intruder Migrant’
Theoretical Framework
Methodology
Dominant Frames of Xenophobia in the Nigerian Press
Nigerian Government Reaction to Xenophobia: Juxtaposing Diplomacy with Confrontation
Frames of Hatred: Framing the Xenophobic Attitude of South Africans Towards Nigerians
Frames of Anger: Framing the Nigerian Public’s Infuriation and Frustration with Xenophobic Attacks in South Africa
Discussion: The Use of Frames Over Time
Conclusion
References
Part III Belonging, Identity Construction
10 ‘Uganda Can Protect Chinese Investors but Not Its Own Citizens?’ Paradoxical Perspectives in Xenophobic Narratives and Practices Fostering Otherness in Uganda
Introduction and Background
The Uganda Investment Code Act (1991)
Government Incentives and Chinese Investment in Uganda
Xenophobia in Uganda
Chinese Presence and Othering Practices in Uganda
Othering Practices and Perceptions
Findings and Discussion
Chinese Victims Versus Ugandan Villains
Rhetoric and Preferential Treatment by Government Officials
The Negative Portrayal of Chinese Investors
Retribution by Ugandans
Experiences of Ugandans Working for Chinese Investors
Conclusion
References
11 Feminisation of Migration: A Thematic Analysis of News Media Texts About Zimbabwean Migrants in South Africa
Introduction
Methodological and Theoretical Framework
Applying the Grounded Theory Method Through Coding
Victimhood and Vulnerability
Victims of Sexual violence
Vulnerability to Destitution
Losing Their Children to Baby Snatchers
Single Parenthood
Vulnerability to Emotional Turmoil
Poverty, Hunger and Starvation
Institutionalised Xenophobia
Exclusion from Health Care
Hate Speech
Conclusion
References
12 ‘Africa Must Be … One Place, One Country’: Xenophobia and the Unmediated Representation of African Migrants in South Africa
Migration Flows to Africa
Methodology
Discussion of Findings
South Africa Is the ‘Heart of Africa’
The Choice of Fordsburg
Access to Livelihoods
Migrant Views on South Africans
Discussion and Conclusion
References
13 Complicity and Condonation: The Tabloid Press and Reporting of Migrant Access to Public Health in South Africa
Introduction
Role of the Media in Public Health Communication
Tabloids: Roles and Functions in the Communicative Space
Methodology
Theory: Migrant Access and Scapegoating in Public Health
Complicity and Condonation: Tabloid Reporting on Migrants’ Access to Public Health
Prominence of News Reports on Migrant Access to Public Health
Contextualisation of Reports on Migrant Access to Public Health
Editorial Focus of Reports on Migrant Access to Public Health
Style of News Reports on Migrant Access to Public Health
Conclusion
References
14 Gateways and Gatekeepers: Social Media and the (Re)Defining of Somali Identity in Kenya’s Security Operations
Introduction
The Kenyan Government and the Securitisation of the Somali Community
Eastleigh Speaks Back: The EBC and the Representation of the Somali Community
The Marginalisation of Minority Voices
Conclusion
References
Part IV Social Media and Framing the Margins
15 Social Media, Migration and Xenophobia in the Horn of Africa
Introduction
The Reasons for Migration Within and from the Horn of Africa
Migration Routes from the Horn of Africa
The Role of Social Media in the Horn of Africa Migration Network
The Social Media’s Contribution to Increasing or Decreasing Migration and Xenophobia
Conclusion
References
16 Not Just a Foreigner: ‘Progressive’ (Self-)Representations of African Migrants in the Media
Introduction
Conceptualising Representation and (Self-)Representation
Methodology
Mainstream Vis-à-Vis Progressive (Self-)Representations of African Migrants in the Media
Towards a Framework for Promoting Social Cohesion in South Africa
Concluding Remarks
References
17 ‘They All Speak English So Well …’ a Decolonial Analysis of ‘Positive’ Representations of Zimbabwean Migrants by South Africans on Social Media
Introduction
The Othering Theory
Coloniality and Decoloniality
Qualitative Content Analysis
Highly Educated and Intelligent: Seeing Zimbabweans as Smart and Learned
‘They All Speak English So Well …’
‘Bayasebenza labantu!’: These People Work Hard
Respectful, Resilient, Patient and Disciplined: Describing Zimbabweans
Conclusion
References
18 Picturing Xenophobia: Photojournalism and Xenophobic Violence in South Africa
Introduction
Index
