Political Economy, Ethnocentrism and big Brother Mentality in Framing Xenophobia: South African, Zimbabwean and Nigerian Newspapers

ABSTRACT

Using textual analysis, this study compares and contrasts how newspapers from Zimbabwe, Nigeria and South Africa—countries at the centre of the September 2019 xenophobic attacks in South Africa—under different ownership patterns defined the problem of xenophobia, its causes and solutions. Understanding how xenophobia was framed is important, for it has implications on policy formulations in dealing with immigration. The study finds that although there were common frames across the newspapers, there were also significant differences between newspapers from sending and receiving countries. Privately controlled newspapers also framed the crisis differently as compared to government or publicly controlled newspapers.

KEYWORDS:

• Xenophobia
• South Africa
• immigration
• media and immigration
• framing

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers, who critically read the manuscript and provided invaluable feedback. The author would also wish to thank Dr Giovanna Dell’Orto for invaluable guidance with the project. The author also wishes to thank Dr Matt Carlson who helped guide the project by providing critical feedback.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).