Research On International Migration Within Sub-Saharan Africa: Foci, Approaches, and Challenges

Abstract

This article reviews the state of research on international migration within sub-Saharan Africa. It examines the international migration systems that have emerged on the subcontinent, especially in Southern and Western Africa, as well as issues pertaining to gender and migration and to migrants' incorporation in host societies. Special attention is given to conflict-induced migration and to implications of international migration for health, with a particular emphasis on the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Despite the large volume and diversity of international migration in the subcontinent, the literature on the subject remains scarce and disconnected from the body of international migration research in other settings. The review identifies causes of this mismatch and discusses ways to mainstream the subcontinent's migration problematique.

Men’s Migration and Women’s Fertility in Rural Mozambique

“…Along with such factors as rising education and increasing access to contraception, a major engine driving the changes in reproductive intentions and behavior is the transformation of rural marriage. Labor mobility, which is a massive and growing phenomenon across the subcontinent (Adepoju 2004, 2006; Agadjanian 2008), plays an important role in this transformation. The macroeconomic restructuring underway in most sub-Saharan nations and the economic opportunities, failures, and imbalances that it generates, continues to push millions of rural dwellers into migration, often separating family members for prolonged periods of time.…”

Health Costs of Wealth Gains: Labor Migration and Perceptions of HIV/AIDS Risks in Mozambique

“…For many decades, southern Mozambique has been an important part of the southern African regional migration system (Agadjanian 2008), sending labor migrants to mines and other destinations in South Africa (CAS-EMU 1997; First 1983). As a result of this flow, Mozambicans have come to constitute one of the largest migrant groups in South Africa (Adepoju 2003).…”

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Education–Occupation Mismatch Status Among Immigrants in South Africa and the United States

“…The central role played by the USA in the Northern American migration system and in global migration patterns has been discussed in other studies (e.g., Massey et al 1998). Similarly, although South Africa has attracted international migrants to the country for more than a century (Lucas 1987), the country continues to play a crucial role in international migration within sub-Saharan Africa while also remaining an attractive destination to immigrants from other world regions (Agadjanian 2008; Adepoju 2003; Zuberi and Sibanda 2004). Even more important is the fact that both countries are among the major destinations for highly educated migrants or migrants involved in brain-drain migration (Agadjanian 2008; Carrington and Detragiache 1999; Adepoju 2003).…”

“…Similarly, although South Africa has attracted international migrants to the country for more than a century (Lucas 1987), the country continues to play a crucial role in international migration within sub-Saharan Africa while also remaining an attractive destination to immigrants from other world regions (Agadjanian 2008; Adepoju 2003; Zuberi and Sibanda 2004). Even more important is the fact that both countries are among the major destinations for highly educated migrants or migrants involved in brain-drain migration (Agadjanian 2008; Carrington and Detragiache 1999; Adepoju 2003). In general, therefore, the combination of the significance of migration in both countries and the unique disparities in their racial contexts underscores the importance of South Africa and the USA for providing comparative insights on the impacts of race and ethnicity on the labor force outcomes of immigrants.…”