Maimela, Pearl Moahlodi2024-08-142024-08-142023-05Maimela, Pearl Moahlodi. (2023). Societal security and the deterrence of migrants as a means to consolidate the European Union (EU). [Master's dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WIReDSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/40095https://hdl.handle.net/10539/40095A Research report submitted in fulfilment for the degree of Masters In Migration & Displacement to the African Center for Migration & Society, to the Faculty of Humanities, School of Social Sciences, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023.Europe's reunification has faced challenges over the past decade. Terrorist attacks in London, Paris, and Berlin; nationalist groups and anti-immigrant rhetoric in many European nations; Brexit; pro-independence movements in Scotland and Catalonia; efforts to reunite Cyprus; and, most importantly, new waves of immigration and the refugee crisis have challenged Europe's identity. European identity and membership have dominated all these scenarios. As its member states grew closer, the European Union facilitated economic, political, and social "Europeanisation," creating a “EU citizen identity" that distinguished Europeans migrating within the region from those from other regions. The study examined whether framing migration as a threat to societal security preserves and consolidates European identity or combats and consolidates fragmentation caused by rising nationalist rhetoric. The study defined European identity as community-formed through interactions, transactions, and generational changes. The study used social psychology and social identity theory, which suggests that group membership, shapes a person's self-image. Qualitative literature review and historical accounts focused on migration post-2015.en©2023 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.ImmigrationEuropean UnionEuropean IdentitySocietal securityCitizenshipNational identityUCTDSDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutionsDissertationUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg