3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Livelihoods at the margins how do practices of transnational mobility shape the livelihood strategies of migrant women in host societies: a case study of Somali women in Mayfair, Johannesburg(2019) Sango, AnnaIn the African context, cross-border mobility has been a livelihood strategy since the precolonial era and has provided individuals and communities with improved survival means, expanding their opportunities, and maintaining and building social relations across various contexts (Nyamnjoh, 2006: 2). The migration of women is increasingly becoming a normalised and essential livelihood strategy for African communities “amidst failing economies, a deterioration of quality of life, civil wars, and the absence of viable choice” (Kihato, 2013: 62). However, South African cities are shaped by contradictory practices of urban governance, development planning practices, as well as policies and attitudes towards cross-border mobility (Nyamnjoh, 2006 and Kihato, 2007). Practices of mobility destabilise the legitimacy and authority of the state (Kihato, 2007), as well as notions of how we understand space. This has direct implications on development planning thought and practice which, due to colonial legacies, often fails to accommodate the socio-spatial strategies of marginal actors in African cities (Harrison, 2006). This study acknowledges the challenge that mobility poses for development planning in Johannesburg by exploring the diversity and hybridity of urban practices shaped by migration. Through a focus on the experiences of Somali women living in the Somali transnational social space of Mayfair, Johannesburg, the study seeks to uncover the interrelated relationship between gendered power relations, transnational mobility and the agency behind migrant women’s livelihood strategies. The study employs an analytical feminist framework of ‘gendered geographies of power’ (Mahler and Pessar, 2001) in order to explore the ways in which patriarchal, classist and nationalist practices shape processes of mobility and urbanisation. Ultimately, the study aims to question and confront the ways in which the intimate power dynamics within migrant groups in host cities, and across African borders, facilitate new ways of seeing and thinking about the African cityItem The impact of international migration on black South African families(2019) Mabandla, Nthopele TselaneInternational migration is a global phenomenon. However, international migration out of South Africa appears to impact the various races differently. Thus this study aims to explore the experiences of Black South African families who have been impacted by international migration. Highlighted in the study will be the experiences of the family members remaining behind in addition to those of the emigrants abroad. Pertaining to Black migration, migration research in South Africa has primarily focused on racist internal labour migration, the dislocation of exilic migration and the “brain drain” phenomenon of Black medical professionals. Seemingly relatively little research exists on the impact of international migration on the Black family system. A snowball sampling strategy was utilised and six Gauteng-based families were identified through referrals. One-hour semi-structured interviews were scheduled with available family members remaining behind. For the emigrants abroad, thirty minute telephonic interviews were conducted. The interviews for both the emigrants and the remaining behind family members focused on the effects of being separated from their family members in addition to the coping strategies they employed to mitigate against the loss and separation. Through thematic analysis, the findings of this study provided a nuanced understanding of the significance of close relational ties in the Black South African family system, which is essentially collectivist. Familial separation occasioned by international migration brought about a feeling of being off-balance for the remaining family members. Moreover, pull factors for international migration were primarily self-actualisation and increasing capital in order to return and continue living in South Africa. The maintenance of a Black South African identity while abroad brought about issues of belonging and integration. Thus the temporality of international migration is underpinned by the notion of home, strong ties to family remaining in the country of origin and a strong Black South African identity.Item Assessing the disunity of the European union over the refugee crisis(2018) Agrizzi, NatashaThe European Union claims to be more integrated than ever where there exists unity in certain areas through a common market, a common currency, a common border however, there is no common policy on asylum to address the current and evolving refugee crisis. Increased conflicts in the Middle East and Africa have led to the influx of refugees and asylum seekers to the European Union. In explaining the disunity over the refugee crisis in the European Union, it is necessary to explore the factors which influence states responses to the refugee crisis and applying these factors to case studies analyzing those states supporting the reallocation of refugees and those states against the reallocation of refugees. This can be attributed to member states interest and power which play a fundamental role in furthering disunity in the European Union.Item The paradox of impermanence: Africanist political imaginations and rights claiming in Johannesburg(2018) McDonald, ClarieNew ways of conceptualising patterns of human mobility and the political, economic and social effects of these movements are driving current migration research. Furthermore, there is a call to develop greater understanding of both the spatial and temporal aspects of migration. This includes understanding how these aspects affect the experiences of migrants in claiming rights and establishing a sense of belonging in a host state. The following research report responds to this call by developing a theory around ‘the paradox of impermanence’ which I construct from empirical research conducted with migrants living in Johannesburg, South Africa. This paradox identifies two distinct forms of impermanence which are caused by the following factors: insufficient access to state immigration documentation that regularises a migrant’s stay in South Africa (state-imposed impermanence); and the personally expressed desires of migrants to return to their home countries (self-imposed impermanence). Further analysis develops the concept of ‘African brotherhood’, which I argue provides an explanation for how migrants construct their political imaginations in order to claim rights, in spite of their experiences of this paradox of impermanenceItem Blurred policy spaces and grey areas in-between: exploring policy responses to cross-border migration and antiretroviral therapy treatment continuity in Johannesburg and Vhembe(2017) Vanyoro, Kudakwashe PaulBackground: Policy responses to communicable diseases and other noncommunicable ones in South (ern) Africa have not adequately engaged with mobility. While Southern African Development Community member states have all adopted clear policies and programmes to deal with communicable diseases for their population in South Africa and elsewhere, deliberately, these do not extend to non nationals. In South Africa, there is a perception that many health care workers are not aware of national health policies and legislation that affect their practice, which leads to poor outcomes. But, in reality, a number of polices and guidelines are incomplete or inapplicable to non nationals, making frontline discretion unavoidable. Objectives: This study mainly sought to understand the practices that frontline health care workers adopt to navigate a space of blurred policy and the “grey areas inbetween” (McConnel, 2010), in relation to migration and antiretroviral treatment, using bottom-up policy analysis, namely “street-level bureaucracy” (Lipsky, 2010) as an analytical tool. Methods: Qualitative methods were used including policy review, literature review, in-depth interviews with frontline health care workers and participant observation. Findings: Empirical research in Vhembe district and Johannesburg found that in spite of several institutional challenges, health care workers were providing health care services and antiretroviral treatment to various categories of non-nationals reliant on public health care, albeit sometimes with some difficulties. But, the difficulties they faced in providing antiretroviral treatment were policy and systems related, in that, those that had a hard time accessing treatment did so because they were not in possession of identity documents, required referral letters or spoke non-native languages in the absence of translation services. This thesis illustrates the various innovations frontline health care workers employed to address these challenges. It demonstrates that health care workers discretion plays a crucial role in health care delivery, and there is need to recognise the importance of informal elements such as human relationships, communication networks, leadership and motivation towards the policy function of the country’s health system. It concludes that the informal practices of frontline health care workers ought not only to be recognised but also strengthened where possible.