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Conceptualizing African migration to South-East Asia: student, trader, businessman & future of policy in Malaysia

This article is based on the results of a two-year research project on African migration to Southeast Asia, namely Malaysia and Singapore, at the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA), the National University of Malaysia. It was conducted from 2011-2013 and followed-up with online interviews of resp...

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Main Author: Ansah, Eric Schubert
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2016
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11437/1/14443-39818-1-SM.pdf
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11437/
http://ejournal.ukm.my/ebangi/issue/view/809
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spelling my-ukm.journal.114372018-03-10T01:29:17Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11437/ Conceptualizing African migration to South-East Asia: student, trader, businessman & future of policy in Malaysia Ansah, Eric Schubert This article is based on the results of a two-year research project on African migration to Southeast Asia, namely Malaysia and Singapore, at the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA), the National University of Malaysia. It was conducted from 2011-2013 and followed-up with online interviews of respondents from 2014 till the end of 2015. The purpose of the research project entitled, “African Migration to Southeast Asia: Characteristics, Impact and Future of Policy”, was to highlight the character, specificities, policy contexts and outcomes of African migration to Southeast Asia. African migration to both East and Southeast Asia is relatively new and unknown compared to the older and more established Eurocentric migration of Africans to Europe and West. As the African presence continues to grow while the inner dynamics of this new migration appear hidden, it has puzzled policy-makers and bureaucrats alike, caused consternation, outrage and is experienced as a sceptre of invasion among the local populations. It is argued that the new African migration is to be understood as constituted by a self-regulatory process of African migrants comprised of relations among logics of migration, socio-economic networks, institutions and a set of State policies across domains. While transnational institutional change, including ‘look East’ policies of African States, the changing climate for migration in Europe and Malaysia’s vision to become a high-income country by 2020, are among the permissive causes, it is the actual social relations of African migrants in a particular location which shape migration outcomes. As can be observed empirically and argued, African migration to Southeast is increasingly similar to Chinese migrations in the global context. Hence African migration to Malaysia may be seen in terms of the dynamics, social relations, institutions and transactions of overseas Chinese and transnational Chinese studies. The future of policy in Malaysia, as across Southeast Asia may be understood as the relationship of developmental States to the self-regulatory process of African migrants and emergence of Africa-town, with Chinese characteristics. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2016 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11437/1/14443-39818-1-SM.pdf Ansah, Eric Schubert (2016) Conceptualizing African migration to South-East Asia: student, trader, businessman & future of policy in Malaysia. e-BANGI: Jurnal Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan, 11 (1). pp. 59-90. ISSN 1823-884X http://ejournal.ukm.my/ebangi/issue/view/809
institution Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
building Perpustakaan Tun Sri Lanang Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
content_source UKM Journal Article Repository
url_provider http://journalarticle.ukm.my/
language English
description This article is based on the results of a two-year research project on African migration to Southeast Asia, namely Malaysia and Singapore, at the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA), the National University of Malaysia. It was conducted from 2011-2013 and followed-up with online interviews of respondents from 2014 till the end of 2015. The purpose of the research project entitled, “African Migration to Southeast Asia: Characteristics, Impact and Future of Policy”, was to highlight the character, specificities, policy contexts and outcomes of African migration to Southeast Asia. African migration to both East and Southeast Asia is relatively new and unknown compared to the older and more established Eurocentric migration of Africans to Europe and West. As the African presence continues to grow while the inner dynamics of this new migration appear hidden, it has puzzled policy-makers and bureaucrats alike, caused consternation, outrage and is experienced as a sceptre of invasion among the local populations. It is argued that the new African migration is to be understood as constituted by a self-regulatory process of African migrants comprised of relations among logics of migration, socio-economic networks, institutions and a set of State policies across domains. While transnational institutional change, including ‘look East’ policies of African States, the changing climate for migration in Europe and Malaysia’s vision to become a high-income country by 2020, are among the permissive causes, it is the actual social relations of African migrants in a particular location which shape migration outcomes. As can be observed empirically and argued, African migration to Southeast is increasingly similar to Chinese migrations in the global context. Hence African migration to Malaysia may be seen in terms of the dynamics, social relations, institutions and transactions of overseas Chinese and transnational Chinese studies. The future of policy in Malaysia, as across Southeast Asia may be understood as the relationship of developmental States to the self-regulatory process of African migrants and emergence of Africa-town, with Chinese characteristics.
format Article
author Ansah, Eric Schubert
spellingShingle Ansah, Eric Schubert
Conceptualizing African migration to South-East Asia: student, trader, businessman & future of policy in Malaysia
author_facet Ansah, Eric Schubert
author_sort Ansah, Eric Schubert
title Conceptualizing African migration to South-East Asia: student, trader, businessman & future of policy in Malaysia
title_short Conceptualizing African migration to South-East Asia: student, trader, businessman & future of policy in Malaysia
title_full Conceptualizing African migration to South-East Asia: student, trader, businessman & future of policy in Malaysia
title_fullStr Conceptualizing African migration to South-East Asia: student, trader, businessman & future of policy in Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed Conceptualizing African migration to South-East Asia: student, trader, businessman & future of policy in Malaysia
title_sort conceptualizing african migration to south-east asia: student, trader, businessman & future of policy in malaysia
publisher Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
publishDate 2016
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11437/1/14443-39818-1-SM.pdf
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11437/
http://ejournal.ukm.my/ebangi/issue/view/809
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score 13.211869

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