African Encounters: Contemporary Migrations, the Second Generation, and Socioeconomic Developments in Africa
Posted: 30 Aug 2013
Date Written: August 30, 2013
Abstract
International migration has emerged as a major social force in transformations going on in many parts of post-colonial Africa. Major social upheavals (economic, political, etc.) on the African continent have led to massive levels of emigration of its citizenry in recent years. Recognizing that Africa diasporic interactions have expanded beyond the Atlantic to include recent migrations to the Indian subcontinent, and more recently, to other Asian countries like Japan and China, researchers have begun to study the various diasporas and their links to Africa.
In the context of Obama’s ascension to the American Presidency, people of African heritage have rejoiced in his successes since it provides a semblance of how Black people (African-descended people) have come since the abolition of slavery. Amidst these triumphs, though, there is one thing that seems to be ignored in the discourse on the contemporary African diaspora - but may have future implications for developments in Africa-the role of the second generation Africans (the children of recent or new immigrants) in sustaining current levels of engagement in the region. While it is true that children of recent immigrants are reshaping racial and ethnic relations around the world, especially in societies where they are more pronounced, what is unknown is how the same processes will impact African societies.
This panel focuses primarily on the role of the second generation; especially in the context of the debate about the brain drain; and also their social interactions with the continent of Africa.
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