In Search of the Diasporas within Africa

TL;DR: In this article, the authors make a preliminary examination of the literature in search of signs of diaspora formation and to identify particular diasporas within Africa, and they conclude that despite the long-standing patterns of migration across Africa, relatively few migrant groups appear to have established a diasociative identity that persists into second or third generations.

Abstract: In the last twenty years, the term diaspora has moved out of its specialist corner, where it referred to a select set of peoples Today it often appears to be used to refer to any group of migrants and their descendants who maintain a link with their place of origin African diasporas are now being identified all over the world and they have become the object of considerable academic interest While the term diaspora is now in vogue for such groups scattered around the globe, it is rarely applied to African populations within Africa Ironically, within the growing volume of literature on African diasporas, very little of it is concerned with diasporas whose population is based on the continent Africa is portrayed as a continent which generates diasporas rather than one in which diasporas can be found Starting from Cohen's typological criteria for identifying diasporas, this article makes a preliminary examination of the literature in search of signs of diaspora formation and to identify particular diasporas within Africa It argues that despite the long-standing patterns of mobility across Africa, which might be expected to have created diasporas, relatively few migrant groups appear to have established a diasporic identity that persists into second or third generations This raises many questions about identify formation and the relations between migrants and 'host' societies and states These can only be addressed through research looking at diaspora formation in Africa; this is no easy task as it is fraught with conceptual, methodological and ethical difficulties Dans les vingt dernieres annees, le terme de diaspora a quitte le domaine des specialistes, chez lesquels il designait un groupe precis de personnes Aujourd'hui, il semble etre souvent utilise pour se referer a n'importe quel groupe de migrants et de leurs descendants qui maintient un lien avec sa region d'origine Les diasporas africaines sont aujourd'hui identifiees partout dans le monde et elles sont devenues l'objet d'un interet academique tres important Alors que le terme de diaspora est aujourd'hui en vogue pour designer les groupes disperses partout dans le monde, il est rarement applique aux populations africaines qui migrent a l'interieur du continent Ironiquement, sur le volume croissant de litteratures consacre aux diasporas africaines, une infime partie est dediee aux populations vivant en Afrique meme L'Afrique est depeinte comme un continent qui cree des diasporas plutot que comme un continent au sein duquel on peut en trouver En commencant par les criteres typologiques de Cohen pour identifier les diasporas, cet article effectue un examen preliminaire de la litterature afin de trouver des signes de la formation de diasporas et d'identifier les diasporas specifiques en Afrique L'article souligne que malgre les schemas anciens de mobilite a travers l'Afrique, dont on aurait pu penser qu'ils creeraient des diasporas, relativement peu de groupes de migrants semblent avoir etabli une identite diasporique qui subsiste encore dans la deuxieme ou troisieme generation Cela souleve de nombreuses questions quant a la maniere dont on identifie les formations et les relations entre les migrants, les societes hotes et les Etats Il n'est possible de traiter ces questions qu'a travers une recherche sur la formation des diasporas en Afrique, une tâche qui n'est pas aisee, emaillee de difficultes conceptuelles, methodologiques et ethiques