A dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of D. Litt. In Communication Science University of Zululand, 2001. / In this dissertation I present the results of an analysis of ethnic stereotyp¬ing among secondary school learners in the Durban metropolitan region. In the first part of the dissertation I review reports in the print media on the high levels of racial tension and confrontation that characterised communities, including schools, across the country since the new democ¬ratic dispensation that started in 1994. In subsequent chapters I review academic literature that reveal the extent of ethnic stereotyping world¬wide, as well as the nature of stereotyping. In the penultimate chapter I utilise the insights gained from this literature review to interpret the re¬sults, obtained through a quantitative research methodology, showing that there is clear evidence for ethnic stereotyping among the respondents of the survey, and demonstrating the cognitive models that people use when they positively stereotype their own ethnic groups, while at the same time negatively stereotyping members of other ethnic groups.