‘Just crime’? Violence, xenophobia and crime: discourse and practice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3108/2010/i33a878Keywords:
violence, xenophopia, foreign nationals, crime, South AfricaAbstract
The minister of police and other prominent politicians have interpreted violence against foreign nationals as 'just crime', implying that it is criminally motivated, and thus denying the presence or relevance of xenophobic motivations. This article deconstructs this claim by showing that the police have in fact reacted strongly and specifically to this kind of 'crime'; analyses the assumptions about perpetrator motivations implicit in it; and reflects on the normative and political flavourings of terms such as 'crime' and 'xenophobia' suggested by the claim that violence against foreign nationals is 'only' crime. The article concludes by examining the implications of the distinction between 'xenophobia' and 'crime' in terms of shaping institutional responses to violence against foreign nationals and influencing general perceptions of xenophobia, including those of potential perpetrators.
Downloads
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2010 Author and Institute for Security Studies
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
SACQ is licenced under a creative commons licence (CC BY) that allows others to distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long a they give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. They may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
Copyright for articles published is vested equally between the author/s, the Institute for Security Studies and the Centre of Criminology (UCT).
.png){kind=spacer}