Africans in China: A Sociocultural Study and Its Implications on ...

as in other parts of Asia and in the West? I also speculate on the future of this African presence in China, exploring questions about the future, such as whether or not the number of Africans in China will continue to increase and what impact this presence will have on Africa-China relations.

In this first chapter, I clarify terms such as African, China, community, Diaspora, and sociocultural study with particular emphasis on the way these terms are used throughout the book. I provide a historical overview and discuss some of the literature about the African presence in China and Asia. I then outline the geographical locations of Africans in China as well as the categories of Africans that are found in China. I also provide a brief explanation on what is involved in Africa-China relations. I explain the methodologies that I used to collect and analyze my data and discuss some theoretical insights into the subject matter of migration and community formation.

1.2. Africa, China, Community, Diaspora, and Sociocultural Study

As a starting point to this study, I explore the definitions of some key terms, including Africa(n), China, community, Diaspora,and sociocultural study.

Who Is an African in the Context of the Phrase Africans in China?

The term African may seem to be fairly straightforward in many contexts. However, in the context of this book, there are many dimensions to defining who is an African.

The easiest definition of an African is any person who comes from the African continent, who is a national of any of the 55 countries and territories of Africa, or who is a citizen of any of the countries that are or have been members of the African Union. Thus, my investigation would be concerned with members of this group—and that indeed seems to be the official view in government-to-government communications associated with Africa-China relations. The Chinese government sees itself