Circular migration during COVID-19: reflecting on the social and cultural significance of 'home'
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The arrival of COVID-19 in South Africa has been like putting dye in water; moving across the surface as flow determines spread, it leaves clear and detectable patterns. Lockdown was meant to keep all of the dye in one place but it spread across the country, including into the Eastern Cape where hotspots have emerged in Chris Hani and OR Tambo district municipalities. The movement patterns indicate that circular migration, migrant labour and double-rootedness remain significant features of the South African political economy. A new book, Migrant Labour after Apartheid: The Inside Story, argues that this movement is driven from below rather than scripted by capital and the state from above.
DOI: 10.14749/32378415
Author: Human Sciences Research Council
Language: English
Topic: Migration and Labor Dynamics
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Human Sciences Research Council
OpenAlex ID: W7162120779
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: