Nationalism and Othering in the Contemporary Era: The Non-South African Black and Xenophobia in South Africa

A wave of populism is certainly sweeping the world yet again. In Africa, the ugliest face of violent nationalism can be observed in South Africa, where regular spikes of xenophobia are an affront to the pan Africanist project that leaders on the continent have been trying to actualize for decades. This paper explores socio-economic, political, psychological, and cultural dimensions of the othering of the non-South African black, which are ultimately rooted in the fear of experiencing increased scarcity in an already economically infertile field for the low class, unemployed citizen. The paper attempts to propose a way forward that includes strengthening individual states on the continent and specifically addressing fear based behaviors