African & American

African & American tells the
story of the much overlooked experience of first and second generation West African
immigrants and refugees in the United States during the last forty years. Interrogating
the complex role of post-colonialism in the recent history of black America,
Marilyn Halter and Violet Showers Johnson highlight the intricate patterns of
emigrant work and family adaptation, the evolving global ties with Africa and
Europe, and the translocal connections among the West African enclaves in the
United States.
 Drawing on a rich variety of sources,
including original interviews, personal narratives, cultural and historical
analysis, and documentary and demographic evidence, African & American explores issues of cultural identity
formation and socioeconomic incorporation among this new West African diaspora.
Bringing the experiences of those of recent African ancestry from the periphery
to the center of current debates in the fields of immigration, ethnic, and
African American studies, Halter and Johnson examine the impact this community
has had on the changing meaning of “African Americanness” and address the
provocative question of whether West African immigrants are, indeed, becoming
the newest African Americans.