Becoming Black? African Migrants’ Social Identity Constructions and Experiences of Racialization in Germany

Abstract

ABSTRACT Becoming Black has been described as a common experience of racialization and social identity transformation for people migrating from countries in Africa to the United Kingdom or the United States. In shifting the socio-political research context to Germany, a society that has adopted a post-racialist self-conception, this registered report explores whether African migrants in Germany identify as Black, and how they negotiate experiences of racialization and their overlapping and often contradictory and competing social identities. The study combines narrative-style interviews with a mapping exercise and photo-elicitation. Research participants were interviewed in three cities in Germany and sampled based on region of origin (i.e. the African continent) rather than whether they identify as Black and/or African. Data collection and analysis were treated as an iterative process, and the final data analysis was guided by reflexive thematic analysis. The study presents three themes that capture the dynamic interplay between existing and evolving identities in the interview and migration context. While few participants explicitly spoke about “becoming Black,” the themes show that migrants’ identities were shaped by experiences of racialized Othering, giving rise to strategic identity performances to navigate social expectations, avoid discrimination, and assert belonging.