An Exploration into African Transcontinental Migrations to and through Latin America
Joanna Boampong (University of Ghana)
Abstract:
African migrations to and through Latin America have gained prominence in recent years and offer unique insights on how interrelationships are navigated within the global south. As a region with a significant rate of interregional mobility itself, how does this wave of transcontinental migration impact the sociocultural and political landscape of the transit and destination countries in Latin America? How do African migrants navigate the socio-political complexities of their transit and destination countries? Still, how are African countries impacted by the exodus of their nationals to Latin America and what new experiences are established between the two regions? The paper aims to explore on one hand, the experiences, challenges, and coping strategies of African migrants traveling within different countries of Latin America. It also highlights the impact African migrants have on the societies they travel through or end up in as well the effects these migrations have on the countries they leave from. On the other hand it examines the peculiar traits and conditions existing in these countries, geographic location, migration policies, economic status, and historical ties to Africa and how they affect the migratory experience of Africans. While providing a comprehensive view of the migration landscape, the paper also seeks to enhance the understanding of the dynamics at play in African migrations through and to Latin America.
Dr. Joanna Boampong is Snr. Lecturer of Spanish and Head of the Department of European Languages, University of Ghana (UG). Her research engages questions arising from contacts and interactions among the cultures of Africa and its diasporas in Latin America and Spain. She is an African Studies Association Presidential Fellow and Fellow of the African Humanities Program of the American Council of Learned Societies (AHP-ACLS). She holds a PhD from the University of Southern California and held teaching positions there as well as the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) before joining the University of Ghana.
Organised by: Thematic Area South-South Relations
Date:
September 27, 2024
3:00-4:30 pm (CET)
Venue:
Global South Studies Center
University of Cologne
Room 3.03
Classen-Kappelmann-Strasse 24, third floor, 50931 Köln