West African Transnationalisms Compared

Ghanaians and Senegalese in Italy

Bibliographic Data

ID3635652
AuthorsBruno Riccio (Universidad Iberoamericana, corresponding author)
Year2008
Volume34
Issue2
Pages217-234
Publication date2008-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueNew Community (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0047-9586 • E-ISSN: 1469-9451
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13691830701823913
OpenAlexW2033337325
LanguageEN
Citations received39
References cited29

The paper compares two different West African communities living and working in Italy. The mostly male Senegalese migrants generally belong to the Mouride Sufi brotherhood, whose vertical and horizontal ties are reproduced in transnational networks, and these often help migrants organise their business activities as well as their temporary settlement within the receiving contexts. Ghanaians in Italy are Christians with a growing number of Pentecostals. They have a balanced gender ratio and, unlike the Senegalese who are strongly identified with the project of return, Ghanaians families tend to settle in Italy. Yet transnational connections and activities (remittances, home associations, investment in housing or entrepreneurial activities) are frequent among Ghanaians too. Despite differences, there are therefore also similarities. The paper focuses on the complex politics of interplay with the receiving contexts and explores the potentials and obstacles for the enhancement of transnational linkages

Business · Demographic economics · Economic geography · Economics · Geography · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy