Attitudes towards migrant workers in South Africa: A critical discourse analysis

Journal of Local Government Research and Innovation

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Attitudes towards migrant workers in South Africa: A critical discourse analysis
 
Creator Ruzungunde, Vongai S. Zhou, Sindiso
 
Subject — migrant workers; critical discourse analysis; diversity; attitudes; labour migration
Description Background: The influx of migrants from neighbouring countries has contributed to diversity in South Africa. This has caused on-going clashes between local residents and migrants. This article explores the role of discourse towards enabling a cohesive society. There has been much focus on migrants working in South Africa over the 2020 December festive season as many faced challenges in travelling to their respective countries because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This limelight exposed the underlying discrimination towards migrants in South Africa remain regardless of the South African progressive Constitution that values and respects individuals as well as protecting them from discrimination.Aim: This article adopts threat theory and uses critical discourse analysis to highlight the existing and continued discrimination towards migrant workers. The article exposes the causes of social inequalities, which can assist the government in decision-making towards reducing the inequality gap in service delivery.Setting: Public viewer comments on the news updates on migrants’ travel that were posted on the national news websites over the 2020 festive season were analysed.Methods: Critical Discourse analysis (CDA) was employed as a method of analysis in this article.Results and conclusion: The article intends to add to the existing body of knowledge and to also inform local government towards canvasing agenda that incorporate all human rights and enable a cohesive society by considering the role of discourse as an enabler of the problems experienced in societies. The results show that discourse contributes to negative attitudes, hate speech, discrimination and stereotyping towards migrants in South Africa.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2021-12-10
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — critical discourse analysis approach
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/jolgri.v2i0.36
 
Source Journal of Local Government Research and Innovation; Vol 2 (2021); 9 pages 2788-919X 2709-7412
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://jolgri.org/index.php/jolgri/article/view/36/115 https://jolgri.org/index.php/jolgri/article/view/36/116 https://jolgri.org/index.php/jolgri/article/view/36/117 https://jolgri.org/index.php/jolgri/article/view/36/118
 
Coverage — — —
Rights Copyright (c) 2021 Vongai S. Ruzungunde, Sindiso Zhou https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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