COPYRIGHT AND CITATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR THIS THESIS/ DISSERTATION o Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. o NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. o ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. How to cite this thesis Surname, Initial(s). (2012) Title of the thesis or dissertation. PhD. (Chemistry)/ M.Sc. (Physics)/ M.A. (Philosophy)/M.Com. (Finance) etc. [Unpublished]: University of Johannesburg. Retrieved from: https://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za (Accessed: Date). FORGED COMMUNITIES: A SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF IDENTITY AND COMMUNITY AMONGST IMMIGRANT AND MIGRANT COMMUNITIES IN FORDSBURG by PRAGNA RUGUNANAN Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree D Litt et Phil in Sociology FACULTY OF HUMANITIES at the DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR SAKHELA BUHLUNGU CO-SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR RIA SMIT July 2015 DECLARATION I undertake that all the material presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly acknowledged in the work for which I present for examination. _______________________________ Pragna Rugunanan July 2015 P a g e | ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Embarking on a doctoral thesis is an arduous journey and the ultimate discovery is the discovery of the self. While the individual soldiers on in this solitary task, the achievement is not without the considerable effort and sacrifice of others. My most sincere and heartfelt thanks go to my supervisors, Professor Sakhela Buhlungu and Professor Ria Smit, who championed me through this journey. Their enthusiasm, support and patient counselling have steadied my path. To Professor Buhlungu, who inspired me to reach further, to think outside the box, to have fun, but kept pushing me to move beyond the obvious and the ordinary, I thank you. To Professor Ria Smit, your strength, intellect, attention to detail and unwavering support brought this thesis to its final completion. The thesis would not have been possible without the monetary contribution of the University of Johannesburg and the National Research Foundation (NRF), I deeply grateful for the financial contributions received, any mistakes are solely my own. To Professor Kammila Naidoo, I am grateful for your support and the space provided to complete this thesis. To Professor Tina Uys, I acknowledge your assistance and in particular, your contribution provided at the hosting of the International Sociological Association (ISA) PhD laboratory held at the UJ Island in 2011, the insightful comments and camaraderie by members from across the globe helped shape my ideas. To Professor Joan Fairhurst, for your meticulous editing, I thank you for taking me under your wing. To Elsabeth Marnitz, your careful attention to the technical component of this thesis is appreciated. I am indebted to dear colleagues and friends, Prof Cecilia van Zyl Schalekamp and Letitia Smuts, who provided endless moral support, courage and hope, shoulders to cry on and who walked the highs and lows of this journey with me. Other friends may have faltered and since parted ways, but new ones filled the gap. Elli Kriel, I am grateful for the support and uplifting words when I needed it most, Prof Grace Khunou and Prof Zosa Gruber, thank you for that final push to the end. To Siphelo Ngcwangu, we walked this path together, thank you for your ‘virtual’ comradeship and encouragement. A special note of thanks to Anthony Kaziboni and Dr Tapiwa Chagonda for their resolute friendship. P a g e | iii To Videhi Sivurusan, I am forever in your debt. Thank you for your grace and humility. My sincere appreciation goes to Dr Zahraa McDonald, Dr Zaheera Jinnah and Prof Marlize Rabe for their unstinting friendship, encouragement and advice, often at odd hours of the night that spurred me on to completion. The most important pillar of all is family. The people that love unconditionally and understand the road ahead has many winding paths. I have been truly blessed, by my mother’s stalwart courage and unfailing spirit that my ‘book’ will soon be completed. To my husband’s family, my sincere appreciation for your constant support. To my dearest brother Deepak and wife Geetha, your steadfast encouragement gave me strength when I needed it the most. To my beloved sister, Karuna, to new beginnings and a new life filled with love and light. Hold your head up high. There are two very special people without whom this task could not have been achieved, to Ramula Patel, I am truly blessed to have you in my life, without your strength, wisdom, sheer belief and love, I would have surely faltered a long time ago. To Rita Ranchod, thank you for being such an amazing friend, I simply have to ask and my will is done. To my two sons, Meeren and Nikhil, I cannot begin to explain the enormous joy that you both bring, the love and honour with which you conduct yourself. I could not have achieved my dream without your support, incredible sacrifice and the many stolen hours that cannot be replaced, and the many ‘hug coupons’ that need to be claimed. My most precious birthday gift hangs on a wall in my office, a poster given to me my husband, Anil, which reads “when you get to the top of the mountain, keep climbing”. Those words have inspired me every day. On every one of the mountains that we have physically climbed together, symbolically in preparation for this journey, you have stood behind me, to steady me in case I fall, and cautioned me to put one foot in front of the next, take small steps till we get to what seems an insurmountable climb. My deepest and most heartfelt thanks for championing me, every day, in every way. To my father, who planted this idea a long time ago, your star will always shine brightly…. P a g e | iv ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ANC: African National Congress CDE: Centre for Democratic Enterprise CID: Central Improvement District CoRMSA: Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa DA: Democratic Alliance DHA: Department of Home Affairs FMSP: Forced Migration Studies Programme, University of the Witwatersrand ILO: International Labour Organisation IOM: International Organization for Migration JDA: Johannesburg Development Agency JHC: Johannesburg Housing Company JMS: Johannesburg Muslim School JRS: Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) JVC: The Japanese Voluntary Committee SACPO: South African Coloured People’s Organisation SACTU: South African Congress of Trade Unions SADC: Southern African Development Community SAIC: South African Indian Congress SAMP: Southern African Migration Project SASA: Somali Association of South Africa SBSM: Shree Bharat Sharda Mandir School SCB: Somali Community Board SCF: Somali Community Forum TIC: Transvaal Indian Congress UNDP: United Nations Development Programme WHO: World Health Organization P a g e | v ABSTRACT The major focus of this thesis entails a sociological exploration of identity and community within immigrant and migrant communities in Fordsburg. Founded in 1888, Fordsburg is one of the earliest suburbs created after the proclamation of Johannesburg in 1886. Four main research objectives guide the study. The first considers how new migrant communities withdraw into enclaves allowing new identities to emerge. The second examines the role of family relationships, religion and remittances among migrant communities in Fordsburg. The third explores the role of social networks and social capital in terms of economic and social integration. The final exposes how migrants define belonging to a community, an ethnic or a religious group. The thesis is based on a case study using information gathered from semi-structured, in-depth interviews with South African Indian traders and migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Egypt and Malawi living and/or working in Fordsburg. Key participants in local government, educational institutions and voluntary associations were also interviewed. In fact, this study contributes significantly to the extant body of literature on South Asian migration, which is known to be under-researched particularly in the South African context. In the process of conceptualising the concept of community, the thesis uncovered the tension between the pulling apart and the coming together of communities - a forging of communities. While the term ‘community’ has multiple meanings and connotations, in this discourse community is about belonging to and longing for community. By examining immigrant and migrant groups from a historical and contemporary view, it emerged that, in their search for community and a sense of belonging, migrants developed a contingent and instrumental solidarity, which related closely to place and space. Their choice of Fordsburg was integral to their search for community; a place to belong to. Migrants also retreated within their ethnic communities, as a space that provided a sense of the familiar and the known where resources could be accessed. The choice to migrate to Fordsburg was purposeful; prior established networks and an Indian diaspora identified Fordsburg as a ‘Muslim’ place and an ‘Indian’ place. Fordsburg, with its close access to multiple spaces