exploring the lives and educational aspirations of marginalised migrant youth

336 Pages·2017·4.41 MB·English

EXPLORING THE LIVES AND EDUCATIONAL ASPIRATIONS OF
MARGINALISED MIGRANT YOUTH: A CASE STUDY IN
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
by
WADZANAI FAITH MKWANANZI

This thesis is submitted in accordance with the requirements for the
PhD in Development Studies
in the
Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
at the
University of the Free State
Bloemfontein, South Africa
March 2017

Supervisors:
Prof. Merridy Wilson-Strydom

Prof. Melanie Walker

Dr. Sonja Loots
Author’s Contact: Wadzanai Faith Mkwananzi
Centre for Research on Higher Education and Development (CRHED)
University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Acknowledgements

The successful completion of this thesis is as a result of contributions from different indi-
viduals, whom I wish to acknowledge, with gratitude:
 Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisors; Professor
Merridy Wilson-Strydom, Professor Melanie Walker and Dr. Sonja Loots for allowing
me to work under their guidance and support. Their expertise, knowledge and un-
derstanding added considerably to my research experience.
 I am highly grateful to have received funding from the University of the Free State
and the National Research Fund through the Centre for Research on Higher Educa-
tion and Development (CRHED).
 I owe profound gratitude to all my colleagues at CRHED and the International Stud-
ies Group (ISG), past and present, for their constant encouragement and support. In
particular, I am grateful to Dr. Oliver Mutanga and Ms Unaludo Sechele for dedicat-
ing time to go through my work and providing insightful feedback.
 My sincere gratitude to Mrs Lucretia Smith for her timely support in administrative
matters related to my study.
 Many thanks to my friends and family for their continuous encouragement, in par-
ticular, Zina Saunders who has supported me throughout the years.
 I would not forget all the research participants who agreed to be interviewed,
thereby making this study possible.

I would also like to thank:
 Colleagues and fellow participants at the UCL 2014 Migration Conference for the
valuable feedback at the beginning of this PhD.
 HDCA Conference 2015, particularly the younger scholar meets senior scholar chair,
Joan De-Jhaeghere, for her valuable insights and feedback.
 The Sussex Migration team and fellow participants at the 2016 Sussex Migration
Graduate Conference for their valuable feedback and insightful comments.
 Visiting senior scholars at CHRED: Professor Monica Mclean, Professor Sandra Boni,
Professor Joan De-Jhaeghere, Dr. Veronica Crosbie and Professor Hans-Uwe Otto for
insightful comments and critical questions on this thesis.
Abstract

As the migration phenomenon gains momentum, South Africa processes high volumes of
refugee applications, particularly from neighbouring countries. One of the largest groups
migrating is that of youths, in search of alternative livelihoods and opportunities in
education and employment. In pursuit of these opportunities, challenges such as obtaining
official documentation as well as resistance, intolerance and animosity from local residents
are faced. Consequently, many unanswered questions remain on how the experiences of
migrant youth influence their aspirations and desire for educational continuation or
achievement. Although there are a number of studies on educational aspirations of migrant
youth, most of these have focused on the Global North; there has not been an in-depth focus
on individual educational aspirations of youth in the South-to-South migration context.
Thus, this thesis seeks to provide additional insight into South-to-South mobility and
marginalised migrant youths’ educational aspirations. Through exploring the educational
aspirations and developmental opportunities available to this group of youths, I argue that
the capabilities approach (CA) provides a comprehensive framework, which incorporates
diverse and complex challenges of migration, cutting across and beyond social, political,
cultural and economic contexts. The use of the CA in this study not only acknowledges the
complex nature of migration, but also demonstrates that human mobility, in addition to
being a capability on its own, is an integral part of human development. This is illustrated
by an assessment of available opportunities for migrant youth to expand their choices, as
well as their capacity to improve other dimensions of their lives, such as an opportunity for
education.

The study adopts an interpretivist paradigm, which draws on concepts that are important
in understanding people’s actions and behaviours, such as agency, opportunities, and being
and doing in seeking to answer the following questions: (i) what are the everyday
experiences of marginalised migrant youth in Johannesburg, South Africa? (ii) What
educational aspirations do the marginalised migrant youth have? (iii) Which capabilities
and functionings do they value? (iv) What advocacy strategies do the participants suggest
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be put in place to support their educational aspirations? Data was collected using in-depth
narrative interviews with 26 migrant youth who had accessed refugee services at the
Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg. After preliminary open coding of individual
interviews, a focus group was conducted to discuss some of the issues that emerged from
individual interviews. Additional interviews were conducted with representatives from the
refugee centre and Albert Street School respectively in order to gain detailed insight into
migrant experiences.

Two key findings emerged from this study. Firstly, resources to achieve educational
aspirations for migrant youth remain constrained in all key dimensions: political, social,
and economic. With these constraints, opportunities for accessing higher education also
become limited. As such, these narratives on educational aspirations have also shown that a
gap in the literature on marginalised migrants and education extends to other dimensions.
These include issues of access, experiences within higher education institutions, as well as
achievement in higher education for the few migrant youth that have opportunities to
progress further in education. Secondly, aspirations are complex and multidimensional, as
is the environment that shapes them. Such complexity requires an in-depth and
comprehensive analysis, as a simplistic understanding may overlook the lived realities of
marginalised groups. Thus, I provide a new conceptualisation of aspirations intersecting
along the axes of agency and structural conversion factors. Based on this conceptualisation
I present an argument for four types of aspirations, namely resigned, powerful, persistent
and frustrated aspirations. This construction of aspirations provides a different way of
thinking about aspirations formation in contexts of marginalisation, disadvantage and
vulnerability experienced by migrant youth in the study, as well as others living in similar
environments. Furthermore, the thesis presents the intersectionality of conversion factors
in the migrant youths’ lives and how this intersectionality influences their educational
aspirations.

Keywords: capability approach, disadvantage, educational aspirations, higher education,
human development, marginalisation, migration, youth.
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Opsomming

Soos die migrasie-fenomeen momentum opbou is Suid-Afrika een van die Afrika lande wat
hoe volumes vlugteling aansoeke prosesseer, veral van aangrensende lande. Een van die
grootste groepe wat migreer is jeugdiges op soek na alternatiewe metodes van
lewensbestaan en geleenthede in opvoeding en werk. In die nastrewing van hierdie
geleenthede word verskeie uitdagings ervaar, insluitend die verkryging van offisie le
dokumentasie asook weerstand, onverdraagsaamheid en vyandigheid van plaaslike
inwoners. Gevolglik bly verskeie vrae onbeantwoord oor hoe die ervaringe van migrerende
jeug hul aspirasies en begeerte vir opvoedkundige voortsetting en bereiking beïn vloed.
Alhoewel daar verskeie studies oor die opvoedkundige aspirasies van migrerende jeug is, is
meeste van hierdie studies gefokus op die globale Noord; daar is nog geen soortgelyke, in-
diepte studies oor individuele opvoedkundige aspirasies van jeugdiges in die Suid-Suid
migrasie konteks gedoen nie. Dus poog hierdie tesis om addisionele insig te voorsien oor
Suid-Suid mobiliteit en gemarginaliseerde migrerende jeugdiges se opvoedkundige
aspirasies. Deur die opvoedkundige aspirasies en ontwikkelingsgeleenthede beskikbaar
aan hierdie groep te bestudeer, voer ek aan dat die vermoe nsbenadering ʼn omvattende
raamwerk verskaf wat die diverse en komplekse uitdagings van migrasie kan saamvat wat
deur sosiale, politieke, kulturele en ekonomiese kontekste sny. Die gebruik van die
vermoe nsbenadering in hierdie studie erken die komplekse aard van migrasie, maar
demonstreer ook dat menslike mobiliteit, ook geag as ʼn alleenstaande vermoe , ʼn integrale
deel van menslike ontwikkeling is. Dit word uitgebeeld deur ʼn assessering van beskikbare
geleenthede vir migrerende jeugdiges om hul keuses te verbreed sowel as hul vermoe ns om
ander dimensies van hul lewens, soos die geleentheid vir opvoeding, te verbeter.
Die studie is gesitueer in die interpretatiewe paradigma wat gebruik maak van konsepte
soos agentskap, geleenthede, en om te ‘wees en doen’ wat belangrik is om mense se aksies
en gedrag te verstaan – en veral om die volgende vrae te beantwoord: (i) Wat is die
alledaagse ervaringe van gemarginaliseerde migrerende jeug in Johannesburg, Suid-Afrika?
(ii) Watter opvoedkundige aspirasies het die gemarginaliseerde migrerende jeug? (iii)
Watter vermoe ns om te ‘wees en doen’ plaas hulle waarde op? (iv) Watter strategiee stel die
deelnemers voor moet in plek gesit word om hulle opvoedkundige aspirasies te kan
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nastreef? Die data was ingesamel deur in-diepte verhalende onderhoude met 26
migrerende jeugdiges wie gebruik gemaak het van dienste aan vlugtelinge deur die Sentrale
Metodiste Kerk in Johannesburg. Na voorlopige oop kodering van individuele onderhoude
is ʼn fokusgroep toegepas om van die kwessies opgebring in die onderhoude aan te spreek.
Addisionele onderhoude is gedoen met verteenwoordigers van die vlugteling sentrum en
Albert Straat Skool onderskeidelik om ʼn groter geheelbeeld van die migrerende jeug se
ervaringe te kry.
Twee sleutelbevindinge het vorendag gekom uit die studie. Eerstens, hulpbronne om
opvoedingsaspirasies na te streef bly beperk in alle kerndimensies, insluitend polities,
sosiaal en ekonomies. Hierdie beperkinge veroorsaak ook dat toegangsgeleenthede tot hoe r
onderwys beperk word. Die verhalings oor opvoedkundige aspirasies het ook gewys dat
daar ʼn gebrek aan literatuur is oor gemarginaliseerde immigrante en opvoeding, wat ook
na ander dimensies uitbrei. Hierdie dimensies sluit in kwessies oor toegang, ervaringe
binne hoe r onderwys, sowel as prestasie in hoe r onderwys vir die gemarginaliseerde
migrerende jeug wat wel geleenthede vir verdere opvoeding kry. Tweedens, aspirasies is
kompleks en multidimensioneel soos die omgewing wat hulle vorm. Hierdie kompleksiteit
vereis ʼn in-diepte en omvattende analise omdat ʼn simplistiese begrip die geleefde realiteit
van gemarginaliseerde groepe mag oorsien. Dus voorsien ek ʼn nuwe konseptualisering van
aspirasies wat deurkruis met die akse van agentskap en strukturele konversie faktore.
Gebaseer op hierdie konseptualisering le ek die argument voor vir vier tipes aspirasies,
naamlik berustend, magtig, volhardend en gefrustreerde aspirasies. Hierdie konstruksie van
aspirasies verskaf ʼn alternatiewe manier om oor aspirasie formasie te dink in kontekste
van marginalisering, benadeling en kwesbaarheid waarin die migrerende jeug van hierdie
studie sowel as ander mense leef. Verder stel hierdie tesis die deurkruising van konversie
faktore in die migrerende jeug se lewens voor, asook hoe hierdie deurkruising hul
opvoedkundige aspirasies beïn vloed.

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Table of Contents

Declaration
Acknowledgements
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ i
Opsomming ................................................................................................................................ iii
List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... x
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ xi
List of Pictures .......................................................................................................................... xii
Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................... xiii
Chapter One: Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Definition of migrant youth.............................................................................................. 2
1.3 Introducing the aim and problem statement ..................................................................... 3
1.4 Rationale and significance of the study............................................................................ 5
1.5 Research questions ........................................................................................................... 6
1.6 Theoretical framework ..................................................................................................... 7
1.7 Methodology and research design .................................................................................... 8
1.8 Structure of the thesis ....................................................................................................... 9
1.8.1 Chapter One: Introduction ........................................................................................ 9
1.8.2 Chapter Two: Literature review ................................................................................ 9
1.8.3 Chapter Three: Capability approach ......................................................................... 9
1.8.4 Chapter Four: Methodology and research design ................................................... 10
1.8.5 Chapter Five: Orientation to study setting .............................................................. 10
1.8.6 Chapter Six: Behind the borders: Pre-migration experiences and educational
aspirations of migrant youth ..................................................................................................11
1.8.7 Chapter Seven: The imaginary narrative: Post-migration experiences and
educational aspirations of migrant youth ...............................................................................11
1.8.8 Chapter Eight: Re-imagining educational aspirations in disadvantaged settings ... 12
1.8.9 Chapter Nine: Capabilities, conversion factors and aspirations ............................. 12
1.8.10 Chapter Ten: Reflections and conclusions .......................................................... 13
1.9 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 13
Chapter Two: Migration, globalisation and development ............................................................. 14
2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 14
2.2 Migration and globalisation ........................................................................................... 14
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2.2.1 Traditional approaches to migration ....................................................................... 16
2.3 Migration and human development................................................................................ 19
2.3.1 Interlinkages of migration and the Sustainable Development Goals ...................... 20
2.3.2 Gender, development and migration ............................................................................ 22
2.4. Human security .................................................................................................................. 24
2.4.1 Migration threats ..................................................................................................... 25
2.4.2 Migration risks ........................................................................................................ 28
2.4.3 Identity and belonging in migrant settings.............................................................. 31
2.5 Contextualising South-to-South migration .................................................................... 33
2.5.1 Migration to South Africa ....................................................................................... 34
2.5.2 Legislative framework ............................................................................................ 35
2.6 Migration, aspirations and education ............................................................................. 45
2.6.1 Literature on educational aspirations ...................................................................... 46
2.6.2 National literature ................................................................................................... 49
2.7 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 50
Chapter Three: The capability approach ....................................................................................... 51
3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 51
3.2 Why the capabilities approach? ...................................................................................... 52
3.3 Key constructs of the CA used in this study................................................................... 54
3.3.1 Wellbeing ................................................................................................................ 54
3.3.2 Capabilities and functionings .................................................................................. 56
3.3.3 Conversion factors .................................................................................................. 56
3.3.4 Agency .................................................................................................................... 57
3.4 Aspirations ..................................................................................................................... 59
3.5 Adaptive Preferences...................................................................................................... 62
3.6 Freedoms ........................................................................................................................ 63
3.7 CA and migration ........................................................................................................... 67
3.7.1 Value of educational aspirations for marginalised migrants ................................... 68
3.8 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 72
Chapter Four: Methodology and research design ......................................................................... 73
4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 73
4.1.1 Formulation of research questions .......................................................................... 73
4.2 Research paradigm and design ....................................................................................... 75
4.3 Study setting ................................................................................................................... 77
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