African Migrations: continuities, discontinuities and recent transformations

Africa is often portrayed in both contemporary and historical accounts as a continent of people on the move. This chapter gives a more balanced overview of migrations within and beyond the African continent. This is a risky and perhaps pretentious endeavour, given the huge size of the continent and the complexity and diversity of migrations found there. The chapter highlights some general migration trends. It briefly summarizes the evolution of migration patterns in different regions of Africa. Of course, these crude divisions between North, South, East and West are problematic, especially with reference to migration that cuts across such borders. The chapter concludes by outlining some of the recurring themes that are echoed across the continent and analyses the main research gaps.