Nigerian migrants, daily life domains and bordering processes in the city of Guangzhou

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates how interrelated processes of bordering – i.e. delimitation, interface and affirmation – work out in domains of Nigerian migrants’ daily life in Guangzhou. The results reveal that migrants make use of marketplaces as interface platforms for economic exchange and cooperation with Chinese entrepreneurs, yet within a highly delimited playing field and with affirmation of cultural differences. They find residence in the city, with opportunities delimited by state and city laws. In neighborhoods, they find their stigmatization affirmed and lack inter-ethnic interface. Migrants also create underground churches, yet delimited into remaining invisible in the urban landscape. In churches, migrants affirm their identity and community but have limited inter-ethnic interface. The paper pinpoints fierce segregative and exclusionary outcomes for Nigerian migrants but they also persevere and gain agency in becoming a successful entrepreneur through instrumental inter-ethnic contact. Moreover, through non-instrumental intra-ethnic contact, they negotiate a sense of belonging in the city.

KEYWORDS:

• Social space
• daily life
• bordering
• power
• Nigerian migrants
• Guangzhou

Acknowledgements

We thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive and helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. We are also grateful to the president of the Nigerian association in Guangzhou for assistance during the fieldwork and for all the interviewees who shared their personal stories and everyday experiences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors).

Notes

1 In this paper, the 5 border functions of delimitation, separation, interface, differentiation and affirmation – as defined by Sohn (2014) – have been combined into 3 border functions due to found close-knit meanings and implications. More specifically, delimitation has been merged with separation and affirmation has been merged with differentiation.

2 Garden derives from “花园” (Hua Yuan), the Chinese word for middle and higher class neighbourhoods with both good housing and environmental qualities.