ASSIMILATION, PERCEPTION AND RELATION: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF THE CHINESE IN ACCRA, GHANA
Open Access
Author:
Lu, Jinghao
Area of Honors:
Sociology
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Gordon De Jong, Thesis Supervisor Gordon De Jong, Thesis Supervisor Francis Dodoo, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Jeffery Todd Ulmer, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Chinese Relationship Immigration Assimilation Ghana
Abstract:
In the new millennium, Chinese involvement in Africa has been considerably more intensive. At the same time, the number of Chinese immigrants in many African countries has increased several folds. The sudden emergence of Chinese in these African countries has made a lot of impacts to the local societies, which are still understudied. This paper took a close look at the degree of assimilation of the Chinese immigrants in Accra, Ghana, as well as their perceptions about and relationships with the local Ghanaians in order to acquire a better understanding of contemporary Chinese immigration to Africa. Research data comes from in-depth interviews with twenty-nine Chinese immigrants and twelve Ghanaian locals in Accra, Ghana in 2009. The research suggests the overall assimilation of Chinese immigrants is very low, and a combination of different factors can lead to a variation in assimilation, which might further indicate the negative perceptions and attitudes towards Ghanaians. The research also shows that the deterioration of Chinese-Ghanaian relationships may be associated with Chinese assimilation to Ghanaian culture.
