ABSTRACT
The process of changing someone’s perceptions often requires a notable event or sustained behaviour that runs counter to stereotypes and biases. The vote for the United Kingdom to exit the European Union would seem to be just such a notable event. Yet, aside from general bemusement about European brethren separating from each other, perceptions about the EU in South Africa, as well as the UK in South Africa, have not changed profoundly. This chapter delves deeper into why this is so. Beginning with an exploration of the rootedness of South African perceptions of the Global North and the legacy of colonialism and apartheid, this chapter demonstrates that perceptions of the EU and UK have taken on a largely functional meaning. Both actors are often characterized in trade terms. This has led to interpretations of Brexit being largely on economic grounds and divisible into three categories: Brexit as opportunity, Brexit as risk and Brexit as continuity. Furthermore, there has been no discernible perception of Brexit as something weakening the EU but rather as something damaging to the UK.
