An exploration of inter-ethnic relations among students at a South African higher education institution

Abstract

Previous studies have mostly focused on racial relations between black and white racial groups. This study focused on relations between members of one racial group, the black race. In South Africa, the black race comprises of nine ethnic groups. The tertiary/ higher education institution was selected as the appropriate site of study due to diversity in terms of the various ethnicities of the student population. Not all ethnic groups could participate in the study as purposive sampling was used. Three students from differing black ethnic groups, who had had negative and/or positive experiences with individuals from other black ethnic groups, were chosen to participate. This was a qualitative study and therefore interviews were used to collect data. The phenomenological approach was chosen with the interpretative phenomenological analysis selected as the data analysis approach. The results showed similarities and differences in experiences each participant had with members of other ethnic groups. The themes extracted were ethnic identity: identity confusion vs. certainty, personal experiences of inter-ethnic relations, and majority and minority ethnic groups‟ experiences. The limitations of the study were noted and as a result, recommendations were made to inform future research.