A gift exchange relationship?: reflections on doing qualitative research with vulnerable migrants

Recent reflections on the study of forced migration stress the importance of constructing ethically sound research relationships that both respect research participants as autonomous agents and protect them from all forms of harm in the research process. Although this is important, very little research in this area has focused directly on the production of intimacy in the research process and how intimate research relationships that are produced can subsequently become the basis on which disclosures are shared and how this can contribute to both the quality of the research process and output. In this article I reflect on my intimate research relationship with Zimbabwean migrant parents who I interviewed in the United Kingdom. I argue that there is an element of (gift) exchange to intimate qualitative research encounters that yields benefits to both the researcher and the researched. In so doing, I also highlight some of the ethical dilemmas I encountered and how they were overcom

Transnational parenthood and forced migration: the case of asylum-seeking parents who are forcibly separated from their families by immigration laws

Within transnational studies literature, there is a tendency to assume that migrant parents have ready access to paid work once they arrive in countries of destination, which subsequently enables them to maintain transnational ties with children and kin left behind. In this article I argue that more attention needs to be paid to the ways in which immigration regimes and policies construct certain groups of migrants, such as asylum-seekers, as underserving of the rights to sell their labour and the adverse consequences these often have on parents’ identities and transnational capabilities. The argument builds on the case study of a group of Zimbabwean asylum-seeking parents. Like many asylum-seekers escaping politically repressive regimes, they had not managed to bring their children with them when they escaped to the UK, but had imagined that, once in a ‘safe haven’, they would be able to arrange for their children to join them. On arrival, they discovered that the UK immigration system treats parents as asylum-seekers first and parents later (if ever). This article furthers understanding of transnational parenting from the perspectives of a migrant group for whom labour market demand is not the sole objective for its mobility

The impact of contextual fragility on development in practice: perspectives from Zimbabwe

This article explores the impact of contextual fragility on development in practice in the context of partnership working. The utilization of oppressive legislation and stringent registration for CSOs by a state fearful of losing political hegemony resulted in limited community participation and CBO reluctance to engage in advocacy activities deemed political despite northern partner eagerness. Financial distress led to a partnership termination, partial and non-implementation of some development activities. Utilizing contextual analysis to unmask the heterogeneous nature of fragile contexts can be a valuable starting point in capturing unique complexities and irregularities in each context to inform program planning

Bordering Through Religion: A Case Study of Christians from the Muslim Majority World Seeking Asylum in the UK

The current global 'crisis' of the refugee movement has drawn to the forefront longstanding public worries about welcoming and accommodating refugees, especially in liberal democratic States. While religion is central to refuge, very little is known about the experiences of individuals seeking refugee protection on religious grounds and even the racialisation of religious identities within the asylum adjudication system. Drawing on ethnographic research with Christians from Pakistan, who are seeking asylum in the United Kingdom (UK), this paper explores the religious discrimination that this group faces within the context of the UK's current hostile environment. Findings reveal a complex issue of misdirected Islamophobia, along with other multi-layered forms of stereotyping. By exploring and engaging with these issues, the paper aims to highlight the complex 'borders' that those seeking protection on religious grounds have to negotiate as they move through the asylum adjudication system

The impact of international non-governmental organisations on the response of community-based organisations to the HIV/AIDs related orphan and vulnerable children crisis in Zimbabwe: the case of Batsiranai and Danish Association for international cooperation in Manicaland

This thesis explores the relationship between an international non-governmental organisation (INGO) and a community based organisation (CBO) addressing the HIV/AIDs- related orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) crisis in Zimbabwe. The study engages with how INGOs have emerged as key conduits for development aid, rather than African governments against a backdrop of development strategies being dominated by northern perspectives at the expense of southern knowledge and cultures. However, there is a convergence of global policy view that at the local level, families and community initiatives and CBOs are crucial to addressing the OVC development agenda. In view of this, some critics have questioned the capacity of African families and even the very existence of communities. In spite of the considerable debates about INGOs' role in funding CBOs, this thesis is based on the assumption that external funding will be necessary for the foreseeable future. Against this background, this thesis aims to unravel assumptions and debates about communities and INGOs. Central is the question what partnership between INGOs and CBOs would entail, whether it is desirable and if so, how it can be promoted. The case study of Batsiranai, a CBO based in rural Zimbabwe and the Danish Association for International Cooperation in Manicaland (MS), the INGO which partly funds its work, is used to address this question. The thesis draws on field work done in Zimbabwe and UK employing in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation, and documentary analysis. Research participants were selected to include six Batsiranai and two MS staff, seven key informants, HIV-affected six children, and fourteen volunteers. The study shows the existence of a community as experienced by some residents of Buhera South District and OVC problem ownership in spite of the challenges. Volunteers are the bedrock of Batsiranai's response motivated by traditional cultural capital which operates as a system of solidarity. However, the concepts of "volunteer" and "volunteering" emerged as problematic due to the specific cultural ensemble prevalent in Buhera South District, which places "volunteering" in collectively structured obligations where individual choice is significantly constrained and shaped by the promptings of other community members. Most crucially this study shows that volunteers are poor people bearing the cost of real participation, in a context lacking a welfare system for the poor. Hence the call for an acceptable token. While children receive various forms of support such as food and school fees Batsiranai has a full agenda without meeting their psycho-social needs. Psychosocial support appears a "soft" area of development due to limited resource allocation. Findings show that partnership between an INGO and CBO is partially possible when power inequalities are honestly acknowledged and recognized as chronically problematic. It is apparent that Batsiranai, despite enormous pressures, is operating as the key front line provider of support and distributor of resources. MS is unusually flexible in comparison with most INGOs in its approach to development and was therefore able to go some way to implementing aspects of partnership: the lines of hierarchy were consequently flatter and links amongst stakeholders were simpler than would be the case with major INGOs. The analysis and experience of partnership between MS and Batsiranai shows that it is a resource demanding process, which requires a long period of time to produce desirable outcomes. However, to great extent, the contextual environment currently prevailing in Zimbabwe played against the partnership. Nhimbe emerges in this study as a traditional cultural resource which can be harnessed for INGOs and CBOs partnerships on OVC in Zimbabwe as a starting point to remedying the scarcity of southern knowledge and cultures in development. In establishing an INGO and CBO partnership on OVC, the former needs to be flexible from the onset and prioritize the latter's institutional development, harness traditional cultural capital and listen to children's voices. Volunteers' should be given an acceptable token, and receive due recognition of their contributions. The state should create an enabling policy environment for OVC partnerships. Future OVC INGO- CBO partnerships in Zimbabwe are encouraged to harness Nhimbe as a way of creating a fusion, between northern and southern perspectives that is culturally and context appropriate. Future studies need to further explore the applicability of the concept of "volunteering" and how participation costs can be mitigated, while preserving a community's resilience. Batsiranai's dependency on external resources calls for an exploration on how Zimbabwean Diaspora communities' resources can be tapped within the context of development aid. Nhimbe remains a subject open to further research

“Your name does not tick the box”: the intertwining of names, bodies, religion and nationality in the construction of identity within the UK asylum system

This article draws on research with Pakistani Christians seeking asylum in the UK, focusing on those with English/biblical names, exploring, firstly the relationship between names and religious persecution in the country of origin, and secondly the complex interaction between names, bodies, religion and nationality within the UK asylum system. It argues that in responding to the perceived threats of immigration and terrorism, British immigration officials tend to use Pakistani as a proxy for Islam, with those Christians who possess English/biblical names often perceived to be a more suspicious group. It concludes by highlighting the need to take religious identities seriously in immigration policies and practices, especially in the context of the current refugee crisis

Childhood and Children's Migration in the era of COVID-19: A case study of Zimbabwean Children/young people's migration to South Africa

This paper draws on research with a group of Zimbabwean orphaned young people. It explores their experiences of migrating to SA during the COVID-19 period when official borders were closed. It draws attention to the complexities of south-south migration in the era of COVID-19 in a way that situates the orphaned child migrants as having contradictory, fluid identities that are simultaneously victimised, agentic and infinitely more complex than the dominant binary representation of adult/child

The effect of partnering, infrastructure gaps and currency weakness on the cost of an infrastructure-building nonmarket strategy in emerging markets

This study examined effect of partnering, infrastructure gaps and currency weakness on the implementation cost of infrastructure-building nonmarket strategy. Limited knowledge on cost of nonmarket strategy existed, leading to absence of meaningful understanding of the business competitive and performance benefits of its implementation. The study was conducted in the mining sector of the South African emerging market, characterized by unavailable or underdeveloped business aiding infrastructure and ageing physical infrastructure. Nonmarket strategy has performance and competitiveness benefits from its implementation as reported in previous studies. Other studies examined its integration with market strategy, taxonomies, antecedents, and internationalization. No studies had examined the implementation cost of nonmarket strategy. To address the gap, hypotheses were developed to answer the research question: what are the effects of strategy option, institutional & economic factors on the cost of infrastructure-building nonmarket strategy implementation? A quantitative method embedded in a cross-sectional survey design using a snowball non-probability sampling technique was used to collect data from 239 participants. Analysis using factor analysis and structural equation modelling showed a positive relationship between a partnering strategy option and cost of implementing infrastructure-building nonmarket strategy likely driven by the absence of: contractual agreements; political ties and networks; project management; regulatory requirement understanding; and capacity building among partners. The relationship with institutional & economic factors was not significant likely driven by the fact that these factors are embedded in the business environment and participants perceived no impact. This study has made significant progress toward the understanding of the cost of implementing nonmarket strategy, as well as providing meaningful understanding of its perceived organizational performance and competitiveness benefits. The study illuminates a surprising observation, where the natural expectation is that partnerships would lower cost of implementing an infrastructure-building nonmarket strategy. Contrary to this expectation the study shows that a partnering relationship increases cost suggesting antecedents that drive the direction of the relationship. Future research can focus on a single set of factors among strategy options, institutional factors, economic factors, as well as examine the antecedents on the relationship with cost of implementing nonmarket strategy.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2018.Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)PhDUnrestricte