International Studies Compendium Project

Extract

Comment on this article Africa is, and always has been, a continent on the move. Its diverse migratory flows have played a critical role in the complex interaction between ethnicity and nationalism in the sub-Saharan context. This relationship has differed significantly from that in Europe, whose impact on all three phenomena in Africa has been great since before the colonial era. After a brief presentation of the scope and nature of migration in Africa, this essay will consider our evolving understanding of its influence on ethnicity and nationalism there. Sub-Saharan Africa's extraordinary diversity makes it necessary to consider local variation, and special attention will be given to three critical cases – Côte d'Ivoire/Burkina Faso, South Africa/Lesotho, and Botswana –alongside broader regional patterns. Notwithstanding important differences in migratory experiences, there is a common theme that emerges: immigrants have served as pawns for governments keen on weakening or finessing internal ethnic divisions and constructing nationalism in countries that inherited artificial borders at independence. The impact of supranational African institutions and African emigrants on this process will be assessed in turn. Non-African immigrants, such as Indians and Lebanese, have performed a function similar to their African counterparts, and their effect on the development of nationalism ... log in or subscribe to read full text