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Anthropology research team highlights xenophobia at international conference

11 June 2021 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Supplied

Prof Joy Owen_web read more — Prof Joy Owen believes in the mutual intellectual push between research supervisor and student.

Prof Joy Owen, Head of the Department of Anthropology, and two of her students, Ingrid Juries, PhD student and Mamokoena Mokoena, Master’s student, presented a paper exploring the experiences of migrants, at the virtual Oxford Migration Conference that took place from 10 to 11 May 2021 under the theme Borders and Justice.

According to Prof Owen, their paper Bordering on complexity? African migrants’ narratives of boundary creation and dissolution, “tries to make a particular intervention in the transnational migration literature – inclusive of diasporic and refugee studies – which speaks to the complexity of reception in ‘host’ countries”. Their paper and presentation were included in Routed, a special conference magazine.

The mainstream portrayal of migrants and residents is that of one-sided aversion and sometimes violence, which gives rise to xenophobic attacks. However, the work done by Prof Owen, Mokoena, and Juries illustrates the ‘rather messy experiences’ of both migrants and citizens and the interpersonal relationships that may result from it. “These relationships are not merely riddled with negative experiences, but also positive, life-affirming experiences for both migrant and citizen,” says Prof Owen.

Xenophobia in South Africa

South Africa in particular, has seen a rise in xenophobic attacks and xenophobia in general, which begs the questions – do we need more research on the matter? Prof Owen says no. “There’s vast literature on xenophobia, and more recently xenophilia – ‘the love of the other’. We need more research that demonstrates the ways in which non-citizens have become part of the South African socio-economic and political fabric,” says Prof Owen.

The complexities of our history in South Africa, that of migration and settlement. “How we narrate those stories, and what we focus on, confirms how we define ourselves as contemporary South Africans, inclusive of migrants in our midst,” says Prof Owen.

Mutual intellectual push

For Prof Owen, it is important to reiterate that although Juries and Mokoena are under her supervision, they were also her collaborators for the conference presentation. “Their contemporary knowledge and understanding of the intricate and embattled experiences of migrants in South Africa is growing,” she says. It is a privilege for her to witness the fast, immediate intellectual growth of her students and their academic prowess while being pushed intellectually herself. “That is fundamentally the role of education, is it not? To keep pushing beyond the knowledge we have accrued in service to society,” Prof Owen says.

News Archive

Well-established root system important for sustainable production in semi-arid grasslands

2015-02-24

Plot layout where production and root studies were done
Photo: Supplied

The importance of a well-established root system for sustainable production in the semi-arid grasslands cannot be over-emphasised.

A study of Prof Hennie Snyman from the Department of Animal and Wildlife and Grassland Sciences at the University of the Free State is of the few studies in which soil-water instead of rainfall has been used to estimate above- and below-ground production of semi-arid grasslands. “In the past, plant ecological studies have concentrated largely on above-ground parts of the grassland ecosystem with less emphasis on root growth. This study is, therefore, one of the few done on root dynamics in drier areas,” said Prof Snyman.

The longevity of grass seeds in the soil seed bank is another aspect that is being investigated at present. This information could provide guidelines in grassland restoration.

“Understanding changes in the hydrological characteristics of grassland ecosystems with degradation is essential when making grassland management decisions in arid and semi-arid areas to ensure sustainable animal production. The impact of grassland degradation on productivity, root production, root/shoot ratios, and water-use efficiency has been quantified for the semi-arid grasslands over the last 35 years. Because of the great impact of sustainable management guidelines on land users, this study will be continuing for many years,” said Prof Snyman.

Water-use efficiency (WUE) is defined as the quantity of above- and/or below-ground plant produced over a given period of time per unit of water evapotranspired. Sampling is done from grassland artificially maintained in three different grassland conditions: good, moderate, and poor.

As much as 86, 89 and 94% of the roots for grasslands in good, moderate and poor conditions respectively occur at a depth of less than 300 mm. Root mass is strongly seasonal with the most active growth taking place during March and April. Root mass appears to be greater than above-ground production for these semi-arid areas, with an increase in roots in relation to above-ground production with grassland degradation. The mean monthly root/shoot ratios for grasslands in good, moderate, and poor conditions are 1.16, 1.11, and 1.37 respectively. Grassland degradation lowered above- and below-ground plant production significantly as well as water-use efficiency. The mean WUE (root production included) was 4.79, 3.54 and 2.47 kg ha -1 mm -1 for grasslands in good, moderate, and poor conditions respectively.

These water-use efficiency observations are among the few that also include root production in their calculations.

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