Joseph Mulumbu*

Joseph is a leading scholar in African literature. He is a linguist, speaking more than 10 languages, some of them self-taught. In this chapter, via Joseph’s story we trace the quotidian nature of xenophobia as it manifests in South Africa today. Through Joseph’s narrative, we demonstrate how at its foundation xenophobia can be linked to a fear that is primordial (in nobis—in us) and easily stoked by the occurrences around us (sine nobis—without us). This chapter recounts Joseph’s migration to South Africa amid political turmoil in the Congo, his struggles with xenophobia, and his eventual establishment as an academic in South Africa. His reflections on belonging, discrimination, and fear of the ‘other’ offer insight into the challenges faced by African scholars in foreign academic environments.