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

Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, but some scholars maintain that it also includes Chinese from countries like Singapore (pp. 10–38). In this book, I will limit the term China—or more specifically, Greater China—to mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Thus, Africans in China, for the purposes of this study, refers to people who are citizens of African countries or who consider themselves to be from Africa or of African origin and who reside in or visit mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan. The related phrase African presence in China refers not only to the physical presence of Africans or people of African descent in China but also to African cultural manifestations. These include African institutions and businesses in China, such as restaurants and art collections, and all situations in which African culture is on display, especially in situations involving Africans or people with a long-standing attachment to Africa and Africans.

What, Actually, Is a Community?

The phrase African community in China may appear self-explanatory, even innocuous. But the term community is indeed not that simple and neutral, especially for some sociologists (Hillery, 1955). The word is sometimes associated with sophistication and civilization when it deals with human communities, such that only more civilized groups would ultimately form communities, whereas the term network is reserved for groups that are less civilized and complex.

For me, both terms, community and network, are appropriate for describing Africans in China. Africans interact with one another a great deal in China, and interaction is a sine qua non for describing communities. The concept of interaction also presumes that networking is taking place, so every community involves a group of people who are constantly interacting and networking with each other. For instance, people who live in high-rise buildings and take the same elevators each day without much awareness of or interaction with their neighbors are not really members of a community. But, a group of people in a market situation, for instance, who interact out of necessity and conduct business transactions, are effectively a community—a market community.