African & American : : West Africans in Post-Civil Rights America / / Marilyn Halter, Violet Showers Johnson.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter New York University Press Complete eBook-Package 2014-2015
• VerfasserIn: Halter, Marilyn,; Johnson, Violet Showers,
• Place / Publishing House: New York, NY : : New York University Press, , [2014]; ©2014
• Year of Publication: 2014
• Language: English
• Series: Nation of Nations ; 24
• Physical Description: 1 online resource :; 12 black and white illustrations

Examines what it means to be African and American through the stories of recent West African immigrantsAfrican & American tells the story of the much overlooked experience of first and second generation West Africanimmigrants and refugees in the United States during the last forty years. Interrogating the complex role of post-colonialism in the recent history of black America, Marilyn Halter and Violet Showers Johnson highlight the intricate patterns of emigrant work and family adaptation, the evolving global ties with Africa and Europe, and the translocal connections among the West African enclaves in the United States.Drawing on a rich variety of sources, including original interviews, personal narratives, cultural and historical analysis, and documentary and demographic evidence, African & American explores issues of cultural identity formation and socioeconomic incorporation among this new West African diaspora. Bringing the experiences of those of recent African ancestry from the periphery to the center of current debates in the fields of immigration, ethnic, and African American studies, Halter and Johnson examine the impact this community has had on the changing meaning of “African Americanness” and address the provocative question of whether West African immigrants are, indeed, becoming the newest African Americans.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface: Griots from Different Shores -- Introduction. The Newest African Americans? -- 1. West Africa and West Africans -- 2. Occupational Detour -- 3. Capturing a Niche -- 4. Transnational Ties/Translocal Connections -- 5. More Than Black -- 6. Young, Gifted, and West African -- Conclusion. Further into the Twenty-First Century -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- About the Authors