Short Abstract

This panel takes stock of recent developments surrounding migration and nativism in Africa. Panelists are invited to consider diverse forms of migration (e.g. international/cross-border/internal/irregular/forced) to consider the contexts, causes and consequences around nativism across the continent.

Long Abstract

The recent outbreaks of anti-immigrant violence in South Africa have garnered international attention. Yet despite the alarming nature of these xenophobic attacks, there is nothing inherently new about this anti-migrant behavior. Beyond the case of South Africa, there is a longstanding history of nativist violence across the African continent. While local opposition to cross-border migration tends to generate more media headlines, the reality is that far more people ‘migrate’ within the borders of their own countries. These varied migration dynamics can also engender nativist sentiment, as illustrated by the politics around autochthony and/or ‘sons of the soil’ (SoS) that have plagued countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Kenya, Nigeria. This panel proposes to take stock of more recent developments across the continent by examining the contemporary relationship between migration and nativism. In so doing, panelists are invited to consider diverse forms of migration/mobility (e.g. international/cross-border/internal/irregular/forced) to consider the contexts, causes and consequences surrounding nativism in Africa. While we are particularly interested in exploring the concept of nativism, we also invite papers that engage with related concepts such as autochthony, SoS, xenophobia, etc. Given the thematic focus, we welcome papers from a wide range of methodological and disciplinary backgrounds, including anthropology, development studies, history, legal studies, political science, sociology. In embracing a multiplicity of perspectives, we hope to generate novel insights on the contexts, causes and consequences of migration and nativism in Africa – yet also the potential factors that prevent migration from giving rise to nativist politics.

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