Yan Hairong: Contract Mobility, Self-Mobility and Localization of the Chinese in Africa
Contract Mobility, Self-Mobility and Localization of the Chinese in Africa
Open Times, 2021 Issue 1
[Abstract]
It is often claimed that, due to Chinese ethnocentrism, Chinese in Africa practice self-segregation and lack interaction in the local communities. Such claims fail to compare the Chinese with other non-indigenous groups in Africa. We believe that, due to the semi-peripheral characteristics of the Chinese economy, the contemporary Chinese in Africa are not a homogeneous group and therefore defy any sweeping generalization. Using questionnaire surveys, interviews and documentary data, this article analyzes the living patterns of the Chinese in Africa, their acquisition of the local languages, and their degree of socialization, and distinguishes two types of Chinese mobility: contract-based mobility and self-initiated mobility. In addition to mobility, factors that affect the "localization" of the Chinese include the local political environments, the time of migration, language barriers, and corporate rules and regulations. We maintain that most Chinese people in Africa do not practice self-isolation and, compared with other Asian and white immigrants in Africa, their degree of localization is by no means lower.
