Africans in China: a sociocultural study and its implications on Africa–China relations. Adams Bodomo (2012) Amherst, NY: Cambria Press. Pp. 300. ISBN-10: 1604977906. ISBN-13: 978-1604977905

Abstract

Africans in China: a sociocultural study and its implications on Africa-China relations. Adams Bodomo (2012) Amherst, NY: Cambria Press. Pp. 300. ISBN-10: 1604977906. ISBN-13: 978-1604977905Globalization and, more precisely, the economic relations that emerge from capitalism, have led to the appearance of multiple diasporas around the world. Modern economic and political relations between China and Africa have opened the way to the latest, and not so much documented, emergence of African communities in China. Bodomo's Africans in China (2012) attempts to describe in a thorough manner what it is like to be an African in China.The structural flow of this book enhances its contents. After the introduction (1), Chapters 2 to 7 present a portrayal of the ethnic, national and social profile of the African communities in six particular cities of China, focusing on their role with regard to Africa-China relations and their contribution to their respective economies. In the following chapters, 8-10, Bodomo succeeds in creating a progressive feeling of closure through the depiction of additional African communities in other Asian places and in the West (8) and a comparison with the previously analysed cities in China (9). Finally, future thoughts and scholarly implications are commented upon in Chapter 10. These are indispensable, taking into account the achievements of a six-year-long study and the limits of a book-length description. Numerous figures, tables and photographs complement the reading.In the first chapter, 'Introducing Africans in China', the object of study is clearly stated through the explanation of key terms, the review of historical and geographical factors as well as a brief, although accurate, literature overview. The emigration of Africans to China is almost always related to trade: 300,000- 400,000 out of 500,000 Africans in China are traders. In such a context, Bodomo highlights the importance of a 3-dimensional theoretical approach applied to any migrant and diaspora context. This bridge theory incorporates the role of the target community which serves as a link, or bridge, connecting the source and host community, bringing advantages to both. In terms of methodology, Bodomo's examination of the existing African communities in China is based on fieldwork carried out over a period of six years (2005-2011) in the Chinese cities most populated by Africans - Guangzhou, Yiwu, Hong Kong, Macau, Beijing and Shanghai. Interestingly, qualitative and quantitative methods were combined for the first time in the study of the new African Diaspora: 736 questionnaires, including 27 questions aimed at bringing light on gender, age and the sociolinguistic and sociocultural profiles of the respondents were supported by in-depth interviews, detailed focus group meetings and participant observation.'Africans in Guangzhou' is the longest description in the volume. It constitutes a comprehensive introduction to what will be the line of analysis and presentation of results in this and the following analyzed cities. Guangzhou is a perfect research context since it holds one of the biggest marketplaces in China, which is known as the Chocolate City, referring to the number of Africans living in the area (100,000). A total of 312 valid questionnaires were returned. The most striking finding in this area was the existence of calculator communication. This consists of using a calculator in combination with basic body gestures to reduce communication problems. Being less than 10 years old, Bodomo asserts, this kind of communication is in the process of turning into a pidgin.The following chapter, 'Africans in Yiwu', is dedicated to the analysis of the mostly temporarily settled Africans in the world's largest commodities market. At fewer than 30,000, Yiwu comprises the second most prominent group of Africans in China. In this case, communication problems are reduced by the widespread habit of Africans hiring translators. …