Chinese Migrant Perceptions of Africans: Understanding Confucian Reflexive Politics in Southern Africa

Micah D Petersen ,Saleem H Ali

doi:10.3390/socsci7100172

Micah D Petersen , Saleem H Ali

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7100172

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Abstract

In this paper, we use a qualitative reflexive approach to understand the dynamics of Chinese migrant perceptions of Africans upon arrival in Africa and the changes in their views upon returning to China. The research is based on in-depth, semi-structured field interviews with Chinese workers and managers in Mozambique and South Africa, as well as interviews with returning migrants to China, carried out in Beijing. Thus, we are able to gauge the learning experience that occurs and how the underlying Confucian philosophy that has been embraced by the Chinese polity manifests such changes in perception. The research suggests that there is a positive learning process which occurs through the migrants’ experience and underlying racial stereotypes of Chinese regarding Africans are eroded. Confucian framing of China’s role in Africa is also mitigated towards a more hybridized view of African cultures and societies that reflects to adaptive propensities of contemporary Chinese society.

Highlights

The topic of migration in China is often brought up under the context of internal migration from rural to urban areas, or internationally from “civilized” to “barbaric” lands (Chen 2012)
An interesting initial insight from the interview data revealed that some respondents did not necessarily believe China’s involvement helped African nations; the respondents seemed to believe African culture helped their own lifestyles
Our research suggests that Chinese migration to Africa has an important reflexive dynamic with regard to change in perceptions about race and development

Summary

Introduction

The topic of migration in China is often brought up under the context of internal migration from rural to urban areas, or internationally from “civilized” to “barbaric” lands (Chen 2012). We seek to consider the learning process which occurs through Chinese migration to Africa by considering the engagement as a reflexive process (Archer 2007). Our aim is to see if the process of engagement and in-depth field exposure of Chinese in Africa leads to a change in their perception of Africans and how this may impact China-Africa relations. We are conscious of the diversity of countries and cultures that exist within the African continent but for the purposes of this analysis the term “African”. Is an appropriate unit of analysis, given the collective perception of Africans as a baseline of the migrant’s experience. In context of this research, “African” only refers to black residents of the continent

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