Abstract
In recent decades there has been a vast growth of African International students migrating to South Africa for purposes of study in South Africa’s tertiary institutions. Bourdieu’s work on structural boundaries and social control is used as a foundational framework in this anthropological study to fully understand how social exclusion a result of the imbalanced power relations is inherent in society as well as how social exclusion of African International students is controlled by powerful actors of society such as the government. This research explores the lived experiences of social exclusion faced by Zimbabwean African International students (22 to 35 years old) studying as postgraduates at a tertiary institution in Johannesburg, South Africa. Such social exclusion is due to the limited support systems put in place for African International students by tertiary institutions as well as the South African government. Ten Zimbabwean students were interviewed using in-depth personal narratives to understand their everyday lived experiences of social exclusion as African International university students. The study therefore seeks to understand how African International students explain their experiences, if any, of social exclusion. Additionally, in light of the revised South African immigration laws set in 2014, the study explores how these laws impact their everyday lives. By exploring the above experiences of social exclusion this study aims to advocate for the social rights of African International students in South Africa.
M.A. (Anthropology)