Chinese in Africa: ‘Chineseness’ and the Complexities of Identities

Chinese in Africa explores the complexities of identities and forms in which the Chinese Migrants in Africa express their ‘Chineseness’.

In its study of the Chinese diaspora in Africa, the book eschews tendencies to compound the Chinese by showing their distinctiveness in terms of history, culture, identity, and adaptation mechanisms. It pushes beyond the boundaries of ethnic and cultural homogenisation based on a perceived ‘Chinese’ physiognomy. The diversity and hybridity of the Chinese identity and expressions of Chineseness explored in this book’s seven chapters is essential to making sense of the historical and contemporary people to people engagements in Africa-China relations. The book brings together scholars from international relations, political science, sociology and area studies and draws from their field research and expertise in China and several African countries.

A multidisciplinary volume, Chinese in Africa will be invaluable to scholars, students and policymakers interested in identities, and expressions of those identities. The chapters originally published as a special issue of Asian Ethnicity.