Are Africans in Australia a Diaspora?

Abstract

Migration from the African continent to Australia has increased in volume and diversity in the last three decades, with the most recent census identifying 2.6 % of the total Australian population as either born in, or having at least one parent born in, Africa. In examining demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and interrogating political, economic, social and cultural transnational practices, using an interdisciplinary approach that combines demography, political science and sociology, this paper seeks to identify in what ways and for what purposes this population might be considered a pan-African diaspora. We argue that there is some evidence of (i) pan-African consciousness underpinning the collective identity of African-Australian community organisations; (ii) governments, NGO s, communities and individuals engaging in activities that contribute meaningfully to Australian society, countries of origin and identity formation; (iii) significant diversity and important cleavages among these populations. Broader research is required to more adequately identify and measure the multifaceted transnational contributions of African-background peoples in Australia.