Work

Diaspora Formations in the Horn of Africa

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This article explores the nature of the diasporic connections that are emerging among Ethiopians and Eritreans in Nairobi and Khartoum and Eritreans in Addis Ababa. The article looks at their daily lives and interactions within these cities and how they are shaped by the different political and economic conditions. It adds a new dimension to the literature on refugee diasporas, which tends to focus on the political engagement of diasporic populations living far from their homeland. It also extends the limited literature on the formation of African diasporas within Africa. The comparative study shows the pragmatic nature of their diasporic engagement, orientated towards improving their lives in these three cities rather than social or political changes in Eritrea or Ethiopia. It also finds important differences in the extent to which these refugee populations are incipient diasporas, established as a distinctive and potentially permanent part of the city.

Source: Africa Spectrum

DOI: 10.1177/00020397251382247

Author: Oliver Bakewell

Institution: University of Manchester

Language: English

Topic: Diaspora, migration, transnational identity

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Award: Transnational lived citizenship: Practices of citizenship as political belonging among emerging diasporas in the Horn of Africa