Argonauts of West Africa: Unauthorized Migration and Kinship Dynamics in a Changing Europe

Unauthorized African migrants in Europe rely on kinship for mobility, employment, and citizenship, but these relationships can be unreliable and difficult to control. Apostolos Andrikopoulos' ethnographic work in Amsterdam reveals the unseen dynamics of kinship through shared papers, race and gender tensions, and informal networks.

Format: Hardback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 10 May 2023
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Unauthorized African migrants navigate a complex web of paradoxes as they strive for mobility, employment, and citizenship in Europe. In their pursuit of stability and security, they rely on kinship networks to exchange identity documents, secure assistance, and access citizenship. However, these kinship relations are often unreliable, taking on unexpected dynamics due to codependency. Through meticulous ethnographic work in West African migrant communities in Amsterdam, Apostolos Andrikopoulos unveils the unseen dynamics of kinship through shared papers, the tensions of race and gender in mutually beneficial marriages, and the vast informal networks of people, information, and documentation that migrants rely on.

Argonauts of West Africa showcases how inequality, exclusionary practices, and the changing policies of often-violent states demand innovative approaches to kinship to successfully navigate complex migration routes. Andrikopoulos' book sheds light on the intricate ways in which migrants adapt and redefine their kinship relationships to survive and thrive in their new environments. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the complexities of kinship in the lives of unauthorized African migrants as they navigate the challenges of migration and seek a better future for themselves and their families.

Dimension: 229 x 152 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226822600