Pan-African solidarity in South Africa: An empirical public opinion analysis |
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| Institution: | 1. Developmental, Capable and Ethical State (DCES) Research Division, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), PO Box 37429, Overport 4067, South Africa;2. Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park 2006, South Africa;1. Developmental, Capable and Ethical State (DCES) Research Division, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), PO Box 37429, Overport 4067, South Africa;2. Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park 2006, South Africa;1. Central Washington University, USA;2. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA;1. Department of Social Work & Social Ecology, School of Behavioral Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA;2. Department of Sociology & Social Services, California State University, East Bay; Hayward, CA, USA;1. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Colorado Mesa University, 1100 North Avenue, Grand Junction, CO 81501, USA;2. Department of Educational psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 880 Educational Sciences, 1025 W. Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53706-1796, USA;1. Department of Sociology and Social Policy, Lingnan University, Hong Kong;2. Department of Sociology, University of South Carolina, United States;3. Department of Sociology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong |
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| Abstract: | Social cohesion issues, such as xenophobia and racism, are major societal challenges for South Africa. What can be put forward to address these challenges? By drawing together separate threads of literature from Pan-Africanism and common ingroup identities, the study puts forward the Pan-African Solidarity thesis: low levels of supranational identification with Africa undermines social cohesion in South Africa and low supranational identifications are caused by local ideational/socio-psychological factors as well as cluing from political elites. This thesis is unique, mass identifications with Africa are understudied and little is known about how people in the country identify with the continent. In order to validate this Pan-African Solidarity thesis, the article will answer three important questions: (i) are mass identifications with Africa in South Africa low?; (ii) are attachment to an African identity associated with anti-minority views?; and (iii) what is driving mass identifications with Africa? An IPSOS funded attitudinal dataset fielded in four of the country’s nine provinces was used to answer these questions. Results provide empirical support for the Pan-African Solidarity thesis and found that a continental identity was related to intolerance of different outgroups (e.g., racial minorities, refugees and cross-border migrants). This is consistent with the expectations of the Common Ingroup Identity Model. But the study also makes original contributions to the literature, finding that the formation of continental identifications is informed by South Africa’s history of white settler colonialism. Cross-border contact, retrospective sociotropic evaluations, pro-black sentiment and trust in national elites were identified as determinants of citizens' identification with Africa. |
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| Keywords: | Intergroup relations Supranational identities South Africa Xenophobia Racial attitudes Social cohesion |
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