Reform, Opening Up, Going Out: Africa-China Engagement from the 1980s to the Present
The De:link//Re:link Brown Bag Talks concentrate on specific areas of research, both from guests and associated researchers, thus offering a platform for synergies under the umbrella of the project’s own research orientation. In general, each talk will consist of a short input of around 15 to 20 minutes, sometimes based on a text distributed prior to the meeting. The events are planned in a hybrid format.
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Research Consortium De:link//Re:link
Beschreibung
African states and the PRC implemented economic reforms in the context of globalization in the 1980s, becoming more fully integrated into the global trade and production system. As China developed into the world’s new manufacturing center, goods “made in China” quickly took over African markets. Chinese traders were attracted to do business in many African countries, while the Chinese government invested heavily in African infrastructure projects. These activities of “Chinese in Africa” were welcomed at the same time that they were contested. Meanwhile, African entrepreneurs and students traveled to China to pursue new opportunities and as a result multiple and diverse African communities have now become established in China.
Our next Brown Bag Talk will take place on 21 May 2026 at 14:00 CET. Jamie Monson, professor at Michigan State University and member of the De:link//Re:link advisory board, will talk about a book chapter she is currently writing. The chapter will use experiences and stories from everyday life to illustrate the local, regional and global context of China-Africa engagement from the 1980s to the present.
The talk will be chaired by Kadara Swaleh (ZMO).