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Somali Ventures in China: Trade and Mobility in a Transnational Economy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 March 2020

Emma Lochery Open the ORCID record for Emma Lochery [Opens in a new window]
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Abstract:

Research on Somali mobility and migration has predominantly focused on forced migration from Somalia and diaspora communities in Western Europe and North America, neglecting other experiences and destinations. This article traces the journeys of Somali traders from East Africa to China, mapping the growth of a transnational trading economy that has offered a stable career path to a few but a chance to scrape by for many others. Understandings of migration and mobility must encompass these precarious terrains, allowing for a richer examination of how individuals have navigated war, displacement, and political and economic change by investing in transnational livelihoods, not just via ties to the West, but through the myriad connections linking African economies to the Gulf and Asia.

Résumé:

la recherche sur la mobilité et la migration somalienne s’est principalement concentrée sur la migration forcée en provenance de Somalie et des communautés de la diaspora d’Europe occidentale et d’Amérique du Nord, négligeant d’autres expériences et destinations. Cet article retrace les voyages de commerçants somaliens de l’Afrique de l’Est à la Chine, cartographiant ainsi la croissance d’une économie commerciale transnationale qui a offert un cheminement de carrière stable à certains, mais des possibilités limitées à beaucoup d’autres. Une compréhension de la migration et de la mobilité doit donc inclure ces terrains précaires, permettant un examen plus approfondi de la façon dont les individus ont vécu la guerre, le déplacement et le changement politique et économique en investissant dans les moyens de subsistance transnationaux, non seulement par le biais de leurs liens avec l’Ouest, mais aussi à travers une myriade de connexions reliant les économies africaines au Golfe et à l’Asie.

Resumo:

A investigação acerca da mobilidade e das migrações do povo somali tem incidido predominantemente na emigração forçada da Somália e nas comunidades da diáspora sediadas na Europa ocidental e na América do Norte, descurando-se o estudo de outras experiências e de outros destinos. O presente artigo traça o percurso de comerciantes somalis entre a África oriental e a China, analisando o crescimento de uma economia mercantil transnacional que tem possibilitado uma carreira estável para uns poucos, mas também uma oportunidade de sobrevivência para muitos outros. A compreensão das migrações e da mobilidade tem de atender a estes territórios precários, abrindo caminho a uma análise mais rica do modo como os indivíduos lidaram com a guerra, o desalojamento e as alterações políticas e económicas, investindo em modos de subsistência transnacionais não só por via dos laços com o Ocidente, mas também através de uma miríade de relações que ligam as economias africanas ao Golfo Pérsico e à Ásia.

Keywords

trademigrationlivelihoodsSomaliaKenyaChinaglobalization
Type
Forum: Migration in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Somali Refugee and Migrant Experience
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 63 , Issue 1 , March 2020 , pp. 93 - 116
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2020 

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