What has nation building got to do with immigration?

Abstract

ABSTRACT The perception of immigrants varies across countries. In Botswana, xenophobia is rarely violent and manifests in stereotypes the host population has about immigrants. In South Africa, anti-immigrant violence has claimed many lives. However, South Africa's nation-building process has facilitated the co-existence of people from different backgrounds and races under an inclusive national identity. In contrast, Botswana's nation-building process assimilated different ethnic groups under the Batswana 1 identity, hence fostering an ethno-national identity, which is exclusivist. This study draws N=2,390 and N=1,200 South African and Batswana respondents from Afrobarometer, respectively, and finds that Batswana who identify with national identity are likely to have negative attitudes towards immigrants. Conversely, South Africans identifying with national identity are likely to have positive attitudes toward immigrants. Still, South Africans who endorse ethnic identity are likely to have negative attitudes towards immigrants. This study has larger implications for policies promoting pluralistic national identity. Curricula inculcating pluralism can be introduced in citizenship-building programs..