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Project Assemblages: Identity Realignment in China-Africa encounters in the Construction Industry in Congo-Brazzaville

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Many studies on China-Africa encounters have demonstrated the significance of ethnic and racial identities in these encounters. I reverse this perspective and ask: in what circumstances are China-Africa encounters shaped by identities other than racial and ethnic ones? Drawing on my ethnographic research in the construction industry in Congo-Brazzaville, I argue that the actions of many Chinese are often more influenced by their economic roles, such as workers, managers, and entrepreneurs than by their ethnic identity. Their identities are thus realigned in the economic encounters which I term “project assemblages.” This concept highlights the fluidity of multiple identities in economic encounters and shows that China-Africa encounters are a fertile ground for producing theories, beyond the China-Africa framework, on lived experiences of economic relationships.

Source: African Studies Review

DOI: 10.1017/asr.2024.67

Author: Rundong Ning

Institutions: Yale University, University of Hong Kong

Language: English

Topic: China's Global Influence and Migration

Subfield: Anthropology

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,450