This study examines international migration trends in Africa since the mid-1960s. It argues that African international migration trends are at a turning point that could significantly affect the future of migration studies. New African immigrant communities are emerging in Asia, South America, and other world regions, while the influence of state and non-state institutions is increasing. Moreover, interstate migration in Africa is now more disconnected from the legacies of the continent's colonial labor migration systems. By 2050, Africa is also expected to have the world's largest population in the age-groups that typically have the highest probabilities of migration, while per-capita incomes will increase in ways that could reduce the costs of migration. Although Africa's influence on future migration research is likely to increase, progress in developing theories to examine its emerging trends has been limited. With few exceptions, studies on migration in Africa focus on theory application rather than theory building. New theoretical approaches are therefore needed to adequately situate Africa's emerging migration trends within the larger context of migration studies. The building blocks for developing these theories include decolonial approaches that highlight African perspectives and the integration of the substantive influences of future migration trends into theory-building processes.

中文翻译：

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处于十字路口的非洲移民：新兴国际移民趋势的社会和理论意义


本研究考察了 20 世纪 60 年代中期以来非洲的国际移民趋势。它认为，非洲国际移民趋势正处于一个转折点，可能会对移民研究的未来产生重大影响。新的非洲移民社区在亚洲、南美和世界其他地区不断涌现，国家和非国家机构的影响力不断增强。此外，非洲的州际移民现在与非洲大陆殖民劳工移民制度的遗产更加脱节。到 2050 年，非洲预计将拥有世界上最多的年龄段人口，这些年龄段通常具有最高的移民可能性，而人均收入的增加将有助于降低移民成本。尽管非洲对未来移民研究的影响可能会增加，但在发展理论来检验其新兴趋势方面取得的进展仍然有限。除少数例外，非洲移民研究侧重于理论应用而不是理论构建。因此，需要新的理论方法，在移民研究的更大背景下充分定位非洲正在出现的移民趋势。发展这些理论的基石包括强调非洲观点的非殖民方法以及将未来移民趋势的实质性影响纳入理论构建过程。