Between two worlds: everyday life of Basotho labour migrants in Bloemfontein, South Africa

[摘要] English: The concept of people's migration has been studied extensively in the academic realm. The reasons why people migrate, the use of remittances in sending countries and the impact of migration on the migrants' families are some of the topics addressed by academic research. However, the migrants' experiences of belonging have not received much attention, especially in South Africa. This study adds to the migration literature by exploring the everyday lives of Basotho labour migrants in Bloemfontein, South Africa. It is unique insofar as it focuses on how the migrants make circular moves across the South Africa-Lesotho border, and whether they experience a sense of belonging in this process.The design is mainly a narrative inquiry, which is informed by the interpretive paradigm on which the study is grounded. For the purposes of the research, phenomenology, existential sociology and reflexive sociology are the theoretical lenses used within the interpretive paradigm. The study assumes a qualitative approach. It is based on a purposive sample of nine Basotho migrants �?five men and four women. They all work in the informal sector in Bloemfontein and lack work permits. Their narratives of belonging are elicited through the use of semi-structured in-depth interviews. The interviews are guided by an interview schedule, which is formulated along the lines of the study's research questions, as well as of the concepts from the study's theoretical context and the review of existing literature on migration and on belonging.The data are analysed thematically. The findings point to the fact that the migrants do not experience high levels of belonging to Bloemfontein. They live largely marginalised and insecure lives and believe that they are often excluded from the wider Bloemfontein community. Much of their lives in Bloemfontein revolve around their work. They spend most of their time at work, and they visit Lesotho whenever their working situation allows. As a result, they do not have any meaningful and deep-seated relations with their neighbours and the communities in which they live. This shows that they lack a sense of community in Bloemfontein. In turn, it indicates that they do not experience a true sense of belonging in as far as group membership (in terms of the politics of belonging) is concerned. Consequently, they continue to maintain close ties with Lesotho in all ways possible. For instance, they communicate regularly with their families and friends back in Lesotho, they visit Lesotho monthly, they transfer most of their earnings back to Lesotho and they relate most of their situations in Bloemfontein back to Lesotho. Their emotional attachment lies overwhelmingly with people, places and things in Lesotho. Thus they do not strongly feel at home in Bloemfontein.

[发布机构] University of the Free State