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<p>This study explores the economic and livelihood reconstruction of South African farmers who migrated to the USA amid renewed farm security narratives in 2025. It examines how political discourse, media framing, and socio-economic factors intersect to shape perceptions of insecurity, migration decision-making, and livelihood adaptation. Using a qualitative research design grounded in critical discourse analysis and qualitative content analysis, the study analysed approximately 20 media, policy, and advocacy texts from South African, US, and international sources published during 2025. The findings reveal that migration-related discourse is constructed through competing narrative frames that influence how farm insecurity and mobility are interpreted. Escalatory metaphors such as “under siege” and “white genocide” generate heightened moral urgency and frequently portray migration as a humanitarian response to perceived threats. In contrast, alternative narratives that situate farm violence within broader national patterns of crime and insecurity receive comparatively less prominence. Entrepreneurial and faith-based narratives further frame migrants as agents of rural revitalisation, linking moral legitimacy with economic opportunity and community development in host regions. These competing discourses demonstrate that migration is represented through dynamic and contested processes that shape perceptions of risk, opportunity, identity, and belonging across transnational media environments. The study concludes that migration narratives emerge from the interaction of discourse, media framing, and socio-political interpretation rather than from a single explanatory factor. It recommends strengthened evidence-based communication through policy dialogue and policy briefs, improved ethical journalism practices, and enhanced bilateral engagement between South Africa and the USA to promote balanced reporting and constructive agricultural cooperation. The study contributes to migration studies, media and communication scholarship, and agrarian change literature by developing a multi-theoretical analytical framework and providing a systematic critical discourse analysis of media narratives surrounding South African farmer migration.</p>

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Perceived Insecurity, Migration Narratives, and Return Dynamics, Evidence from South African Migrants to the United States: A Discourse Analysis

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  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月28日

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  • Mokgadi Julia Ngoepe-Ntsoane

摘要

This study explores the economic and livelihood reconstruction of South African farmers who migrated to the USA amid renewed farm security narratives in 2025. It examines how political discourse, media framing, and socio-economic factors intersect to shape perceptions of insecurity, migration decision-making, and livelihood adaptation. Using a qualitative research design grounded in critical discourse analysis and qualitative content analysis, the study analysed approximately 20 media, policy, and advocacy texts from South African, US, and international sources published during 2025. The findings reveal that migration-related discourse is constructed through competing narrative frames that influence how farm insecurity and mobility are interpreted. Escalatory metaphors such as “under siege” and “white genocide” generate heightened moral urgency and frequently portray migration as a humanitarian response to perceived threats. In contrast, alternative narratives that situate farm violence within broader national patterns of crime and insecurity receive comparatively less prominence. Entrepreneurial and faith-based narratives further frame migrants as agents of rural revitalisation, linking moral legitimacy with economic opportunity and community development in host regions. These competing discourses demonstrate that migration is represented through dynamic and contested processes that shape perceptions of risk, opportunity, identity, and belonging across transnational media environments. The study concludes that migration narratives emerge from the interaction of discourse, media framing, and socio-political interpretation rather than from a single explanatory factor. It recommends strengthened evidence-based communication through policy dialogue and policy briefs, improved ethical journalism practices, and enhanced bilateral engagement between South Africa and the USA to promote balanced reporting and constructive agricultural cooperation. The study contributes to migration studies, media and communication scholarship, and agrarian change literature by developing a multi-theoretical analytical framework and providing a systematic critical discourse analysis of media narratives surrounding South African farmer migration.