In cities throughout Africa, local inhabitants live alongside large populations of "strangers." Bruce Whitehouse explores the condition of strangerhood for residents who have come from the West African Sahel to settle in Brazzaville, Congo. Whitehouse considers how these migrants live simultaneously inside and outside of Congolese society as merchants, as Muslims in a predominantly non-Muslim society, and as parents seeking to instill in their children the customs of their communities of origin. Migrants and Strangers in an African City challenges Pan-Africanist ideas of transnationalism and diaspora in today's globalized world.

Finding place and identity in a globalized world

About the Author

Bruce Whitehouse is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Lehigh University.

Reviews

[A] very readable and accessible ethnography . . . .

* Journal of African History *

An excellent example of multisited research projects in an age of globalization. . . . Highly recommended.

* Choice *

Migrants and Strangers in an African City is very well written and, simultaneously, it is engaging in important scholarly debate while remaining accessible. To a large extent, the book benefits immensely from the author's demonstrated deep ethnographic knowledge of both the home and host countries.

* African and Asian Studies *

[A]n in-depth study that provokes more questions about other migrants in other settings across the continent. It opens a window on the motivations, lives, achievements and frustrations that affect so many Africans, and it is a story well worth reading about.

* New Books in African Studies *

Whitehouse's ethnography is an often surprising and carefully argued book.

* Inside Story *

Even though the book does not conclusively resolve the 'stranger-ness' of West African migrants in Brazzaville, it uncovers fascinating aspects of migrant social life that often remain outside the limelight of academic attention. . . . [It is] an interesting read for students of African Studies as well as those interested in broader socio-economic transformations on the African continent.

* Africa *

Bruce Whitehouse has produced an important volume that examines the settlement of West African migrants in Brazzaville and sets out to explain why their integration into Congolese society has been so limited.

* Ethnic and Racial Studies *



Book Information
ISBN 9780253000828
Author Bruce Whitehouse
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press
Weight(grams) 386g