For Publishers
DiscoveryMetadataPeer reviewHostingPublishing
For Researchers
JoinPublishReviewCollect
Register
Blog
About
Search
Advanced search
My ScienceOpen
Search
For Publishers
For Researchers
Blog
About
78
views
78
references
 Top references
cited by
7
    
0 reviews
 Review
0
comments
 Comment
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
1 collections
    0
    shares
      427
      similar
       All similar

      From January 2024, all of our readers will be able to access every part of ROAPE as well as its archive without a paywall. This will make ROAPE accessible to a much wider readership, especially in Africa. We need subscriptions and donations to make this revolutionary intiative work. 

      Subscribe and Donate now!

       

      scite_

      Review of African Political Economy

      Volume 29, Issue 92
       
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: found
      Is Open Access

      Globalisation from below: conceptualising the role of the African diasporas in africa's development

      research-article
      Bookmark

            Abstract

            In the past both African Studies and Development Studies have ignored questions of the African Diaspora. This point was made by Zack‐Williams back in 1995 but since then there has not been much work attempting to rectify this matter. In this article we put forward a framework for examining the role of diaspora in development. This centres on recognising that the formation of the African Diaspora has been intimately linked to the evolution of a globalised and racialised capitalism. While the linkages between capitalism, imperialism and displacement are dynamic we should avoid a simplistic determinism that sees the movements of African people as some inevitable response to the mechanisms of broader structures. The complexity of displacement is such that human agency plays an essential role and avoids the unhelpful conclusion of seeing Africans as victims. It is this interplay of structural forces and human agency that gives diasporas their shifting, convoluted and overlapping geometry. Having established that we examine the implications of a diasporic perspective for understanding the development potential of both Africans in diaspora and those who remain on the continent. We argue that both politically and economically the diaspora has an important part to play in contemporary social processes operating at an increasingly global scale. The key issues we address are embedded social networks in the diaspora, remittances and return, development organisations, religious networks, cultural dynamics, and political institutions. We conclude by suggesting where diasporic concerns will take us in the next few years.

            Content

            Author and article information

            Journal
            Journal ID (publisher-id): crea20
            Journal ID (archive): CREA
            Title: Review of African Political Economy
            Publisher: Review of African Political Economy
            ISSN (Print): 0305-6244
            ISSN (Electronic): 1740-1720
            Publication date (Print): June 2002
            Volume: 29
            Issue: 92
            Pages: 211-236
            Affiliations
            a Development Policy & Practice Discipline , Open University , Milton Keynes , UK E-mail: g.mohan@ 123456open.ac.uk.
            b Professor in the Department of Education and Social Studies , University of Central Lancashire , Preston , UK E-mail: abzw@ 123456uclan.ac.uk
            Article
            Publisher ID: 8704610 Coden ID: Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 29, No. 92, June 2002, pp. 211-236
            DOI: 10.1080/03056240208704610
            SO-VID: a70a53df-0531-4640-8064-5e3295f8420d
            License:

            All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

            History
            Page count
            Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 78, Pages: 26
            Categories
            Subject: Original Articles

            ScienceOpen disciplines: Sociology,Economic development,Political science,Labor & Demographic economics,Political economics,Africa

            Bibliography

            1. Ackah W. . 1999. . Pan‐Africanism: Exploring the Contradictions . , Aldershot : : Ashgate. .

            2. African Foundation for Development (AFFORD). . 2000. . “‘Globalisation and development: a diaspora dimension’. ”. London : : AFFORD. .

            3. Ahmad A. . 1992. . In Theory: classes, nations, literatures . , London : : Verso. .

            4. Akyeampong E. . 2000. . ‘Africans in the Diaspora: The Diaspora and Africa’. . African Affairs . , Vol. 99:: 183––215. .

            5. Al‐Ali N, Black R and Koser K. . 1999. . “‘Mobilisation and Participation of Transnational Exile Communities in Post‐Conflict Reconstruction’. ”. UK: : ESRC. .

            6. Amin S. . 1976. . Imperialism and Unequal Development . , Harvester : : Hassocks. .

            7. Ammassari S and Black R. . July. 2001 . “‘Harnessing the Potential of Migration and Return to Promote Development: Applying Concepts to West Africa’. ”. July. , University of Sussex. .

            8. Anderson B. . 1991. . Imagined Communities: Reflections on the origins and spread of nationalism . , London : : Verso. .

            9. Appiah K. . 1991. . ‘Is the Post‐ in Postmodernism the Post‐ in Postcolonial?’. . Critical Inquiry . , Vol. 17:: 336––357. .

            10. 1992. . My Father's House: Africa in the Philosophy of Culture . , New York/London : : Oxford University Press. .

            11. Arthur J. . 2000. . Invisible Sojourners: African Immigrant Diaspora in the United States . , Westport , Connecticut : : Praeger. .

            12. Brah A. . 1996. . Cartographies of diaspora: contesting identities . , London : : Routledge. .

            13. Byfield J. . 2000. . ‘Introduction: Rethinking the African Diaspora’. . African Studies Review (Special Issue on the Diaspora) . , Vol. 43((1)): 1––9. .

            14. Campbell A. . 1997. . Western Primitivism: African Ethnicity . , London : : Cassell. .

            15. Chabal P and Daloz J‐P. . 1999. . Africa Works: Disorder as a Political Instrument . , Oxford : : James Currey. .

            16. Chikezie‐Fergusson P. . 2000. . ‘Africans help their homelands’. . West Africa . , 13–19th November;: 12––14. .

            17. Clifford J. . 1994. . ‘Diasporas’. . Cultural Anthropology . , Vol. 9((3)): 302––338. .

            18. Cohen R. . 1997. . Global Diasporas: An Introduction . , London : : UCL Press. .

            19. Cooke B. . 2001. . “‘From Colonial Administration to Development Management’. ”. (IDPM Discussion Paper Series, No. 63). University of Manchester, IDPM. .

            20. Cullen K. . 1998. . ‘America and the conflict’. . Frontline: the IRA and Sinn Fein . ,

            21. Curtin P. . 1984. . Cross‐cultural trade in world history . , Cambridge : : Cambridge University Press. .

            22. Dirlik A. . 1994. . ‘The Postcolonial Aura: Third World Criticism in the Age of Global Capitalism’. . Critical Inquiry . , Vol. 20((2)): 328––356. .

            23. 1997. . ‘Critical Reflections on “Chinese Capitalism” as Paradigm’. . Identities . , Vol. 3((3)): 303––30. .

            24. Durand J, Parado E and Massey D. . 1996. . ‘Migradollars and Development: A Reconsideration of the Mexican Case’. . International Migration Review . , Vol. 30((2)): 423––444. .

            25. Eceheruo M. . 1999. . “‘An African Diaspora: The Ontological Project’. ”. In The African Diaspora: African origins and new world identities . , Edited by: Okpewho I, Davies C and Mazrui A. . Bloomington : : Indiana University Press. .

            26. (no date), ‘Israel‐Diaspora Relations and the Peace Process’ , Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs

            27. Escobar A. . 1995. . Encountering Development: the making and unmaking of the Third World . , Princeton : : Princeton University Press. .

            28. Fuglerud O. . 1999. . Life on the Outside: The Tamil Diasporaand Long Distance Nationalism . , London : : Pluto Press. .

            29. Fryer P. . 1984. . Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain . , London : : Pluto Press. .

            30. Fyfe C. . 1999. . “‘The Emergence and Evolution of African Studies in the United Kingdom’. ”. In Out of One, Many Africas . , Edited by: Martin W and West M. . p. 54––61. . Chicago : : University of Illinois Press. .

            31. Gifford P. . 1991. . ‘Christian Fundamentalism and Development’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 52:: 9––20. .

            32. Gilroy P. . 1987. . There Ain't No Black in the Union Jack: The cultural politics of race and nation . , London : : Unwin Hyman. .

            33. 1993a. . Small Acts: Thoughts on the Politics of Black Cultures . , London : : Serpent's Tail. .

            34. 1993b. . The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness . , London : : Verso. .

            35. 2000. . Between Camps: nations, cultures and the allure of race . , London : : Penguin Books. .

            36. Godleswska A and Smith N. . 1994. . Geography and Empire . , Oxford : : Blackwell. .

            37. Goss J. . 1996. . ‘Postcolonialism: subverting whose empire?’. . Third World Quarterly . , Vol. 17((2)): 239––250. .

            38. Guha R. . 1982. . “‘On Some Aspects of the Historiography of Colonial India’. ”. In Subaltern Studies . , Edited by: Guha R. . Vol. Volume 1. , p. 1––8. . Oxford/New Delhi : : Oxford University Press. .

            39. Hall S. . 1990. . “‘Cultural Identity and Diaspora’. ”. In Identity: Community, Culture, Difference . , Edited by: Rutherford J. . p. 222––237. . London : : Lawrence and Wishart. .

            40. Harris J. . 1982. . “‘Introduction’. ”. In Global Dimensions of the African Diaspora . , Edited by: Harris J. . Washington, DC : : Howard University Press. .

            41. Harris J. and Todaro M. . 1970. . ‘Mining, Unemployment and Development: A Two‐Sector Analysis’. . American Economic Review . , Vol. 60:

            42. Haynes J. . 1995. . ‘Popular religion and politics in sub‐Saharan Africa’. . Third World Quarterly . , Vol. 16((1)): 89––108. .

            43. Honey R and Okafor S. . 1998. . Hometown Associations: Indigenous knowledge and development in Nigeria . , London : : Intermediate Technology Publications. .

            44. Howe S. . 1998. . Afrocentrism: Mythical Pasts and Imagined Homes . , London : : Verso. .

            45. Johnson‐Odim C. . 2000. . ‘"Unfinished Migrations”: Commentary and Response’. . African Studies Review (Special Issue on the Diaspora) . , Vol. 43((1)): 51––53. .

            46. Kahn H. . 1979. . World Economic Development: 1979 and Beyond . , New York : : Morrow Quill. .

            47. Khapre S. . 28 August. 2000 . “‘BJP pledges to strengthen bond with NRIs’. ”. 28 August. ,

            48. Lavie S and Swedenburg T. . 1996. . Displacement, Diaspora and Geographies of Identity . , Durham , North Carolina : : Duke University Press. .

            49. Loomba A. . 1998. . Colonialism/Post‐colonialism . , London : : Routledge. .

            50. MacGaffey J and Bazenguissa‐Ganga R. . 2000. . Congo‐Paris: Transnational traders on the margins of the law . , Oxford : : James Currey. .

            51. Magubane B. . 1987. . The Ties That Bind: African‐American Consciousness of Africa . , Trenton , NJ : : Africa World Press. .

            52. Marshall R. . 1991. . ‘Power in the Name of Jesus’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 52:: 21––37. .

            53. Martin W. . 1998. . ‘Waiting for Oprah and the New US Constituency for Africa’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 75:: 9––24. .

            54. Mbembe A. . 1991. . “‘Power and Obscenity in the Post‐Colonial Period: The Case of Cameroon’. ”. In Rethinking Third World Politics . , Edited by: Manor J. . London : : Longman. .

            55. Mitchell K. . 1997. . ‘Different diasporas and the hype of hybridity’. . Environment and Planning D: Society and Space . , Vol. 15:: 533––553. .

            56. Mohan G. . 2002. . “‘Diaspora and Development’. ”. In Development and Displacement . , Edited by: Robinson J. . Oxford : : Oxford University Press. .

            57. Ndofor‐Tah C. . 2000. . “‘Diaspora and development: Contributions by African organisations in the UK to Africa's development’. ”. London : : AFFORD. .

            58. Okpewho I. . 1999. . “‘Introduction’. ”. In The African Diaspora: African origins and new world identities . , Edited by: Okpewho I, Davies C and Mazrui A. . Bloomington : : Indiana University Press. .

            59. Ong A. . 1993. . ‘On the Edge of Empires: Flexible Citizenship among Chinese in Diaspora’. . Positions . , Vol. 1((3)): 745––78. .

            60. Paolini A. . 1997. . ‘The Place of Africa in Discourses about the Postcolonial, the Global and the Modern’. . New Formations . , Vol. 31:: 83––106. .

            61. Papastergiadis N. . 2000. . The Turbulence of Migration: Globalization, Deterritoriali‐zation and Hybridity . , Cambridge : : Polity Press. .

            62. Patterson T and Kelley R. . 2000. . ‘Unfinished Migrations: Reflections on the African Diaspora and the Making of the Modern World’. . African Studies Review (Special Issue on the Diaspora) . , Vol. 43((1)): 11––45. .

            63. Phillips A. . 1977. . ‘The Concept of “Development’’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 8:: 7––21. .

            64. ( 1997 ), ‘Globalization from Below: The Rise of Transnational Communities’ , ESRC Transnational Communities Project

            65. Portes A and Jensen L. . 1987. . ‘What's an ethnic enclave? The case for conceptual clarity’. . American Sociological Review . , Vol. 52:: 768––771. .

            66. Portes A and Sensenbrenner J. . 1993. . ‘Embeddedness and Immigration: Notes on the Social Determinants of Economic Action’. . American Journal of Sociology . , Vol. 98((6)): 1320––50. .

            67. Prashad V. . 2000. . ‘Afro‐Dalits of the Earth, Unite!’. . African Studies Review (Special Issue on the Diaspora) . , Vol. 43((1)): 189––201. .

            68. Safran W. . 1991. . ‘Diasporas in Modern Societies: Myths of Homeland and Return’. . Diaspora . , Vol. 1:: 83––99. .

            69. ( 1998 ), ‘Globalisation and the Black Diaspora’ , ESRC Transnational Communities Project

            70. Trager L. . 2001. . Yoruba Hometowns: Community, Identity and Development in Nigeria . , Boulder : : Lynne Rienner. .

            71. Van der Veer P. . 1995. . “‘Introduction: The Diasporic Imagination’. ”. In Nation and Migration: The politics of space in the South Asian diaspora . , Edited by: van der Veer P. . p. 1––16. . Philadelphia : : University of Pennsylvania Press. .

            72. Waldinger R. . 1995. . ‘The “other side” of embeddedness: a case‐study of the interplay of economy and ethnicity’. . Ethnic and Racial Studies . , Vol. 18((3)): 555––580. .

            73. Wallerstein I. . 1979. . The Capitalist World Economy . , Cambridge : : Cambridge University Press. .

            74. Wamba P. . 1999. . Kinship: A Family's Journey in Africa and America . , New York : : Plume. .

            75. West M. . 2000. . ‘"Unfinished Migrations”: Commentary and Response’. . African Studies Review (Special Issue on the Diaspora) . , Vol. 43((1)): 61––64. .

            76. West M and Martin W. . 1999. . “‘Introduction: The Rival Africas and Paradigms of Africanists and Africans at Home and Abroad’. ”. In Out of One, Many Africas . , Edited by: Martin W and West M. . p. 1––36. . Chicago : : University of Illinois Press. .

            77. Zack‐Williams A. . 1990. . Sierra Leone: Crisis and Despair’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 49:: 22––33. .

            78. 1995. . ‘African Development and African Diaspora: Separate concerns?’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 65:: 49––358. .

            Comments

            Comment on this article