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Sampling Migrants from their Social Networks: The Demography and Social Organization of Chinese Migrants in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Merli, MG; Verdery, A; Mouw, T; Li, J
Published in: Migration studies
July 2016

The streams of Chinese migration to Africa are growing in tandem with rising Chinese investments and trade flows in and to the African continent. In spite of the high profile of this phenomenon in the media, there are few rich and broad descriptions of Chinese communities in Africa. Reasons for this include the rarity of official statistics on foreign-born populations in African censuses, the absence of predefined sampling frames required to draw representative samples with conventional survey methods and difficulties to reach certain segments of this population. Here, we use a novel network-based approach, Network Sampling with Memory, which overcomes the challenges of sampling 'hidden' populations in the absence of a sampling frame, to recruit a sample of recent Chinese immigrants in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and collect information on the demographic characteristics, migration histories and social ties of members of this sample. These data reveal a heterogeneous Chinese community composed of "state-led" migrants who come to Africa to work on projects undertaken by large Chinese state-owned enterprises and "independent" migrants who come on their own accord to engage in various types of business ventures. They offer a rich description of the demographic profile and social organization of this community, highlight key differences between the two categories of migrants and map the structure of the social ties linking them. We highlight needs for future research on inter-group differences in individual motivations for migration, economic activities, migration outcomes, expectations about future residence in Africa, social integration and relations with local communities.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Migration studies

DOI

EISSN

2049-5846

ISSN

2049-5838

Publication Date

July 2016

Volume

4

Issue

2

Start / End Page

182 / 214

Related Subject Headings

  • 4406 Human geography
  • 4404 Development studies
  • 4403 Demography
  • 1801 Law
  • 1606 Political Science
  • 1603 Demography
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Merli, M. G., Verdery, A., Mouw, T., & Li, J. (2016). Sampling Migrants from their Social Networks: The Demography and Social Organization of Chinese Migrants in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Migration Studies, 4(2), 182–214. https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnw004
Merli, M Giovanna, Ashton Verdery, Ted Mouw, and Jing Li. “Sampling Migrants from their Social Networks: The Demography and Social Organization of Chinese Migrants in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.Migration Studies 4, no. 2 (July 2016): 182–214. https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnw004.
Merli, M. Giovanna, et al. “Sampling Migrants from their Social Networks: The Demography and Social Organization of Chinese Migrants in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.Migration Studies, vol. 4, no. 2, July 2016, pp. 182–214. Epmc, doi:10.1093/migration/mnw004.
Journal cover image

Published In

Migration studies

DOI

EISSN

2049-5846

ISSN

2049-5838

Publication Date

July 2016

Volume

4

Issue

2

Start / End Page

182 / 214

Related Subject Headings

  • 4406 Human geography
  • 4404 Development studies
  • 4403 Demography
  • 1801 Law
  • 1606 Political Science
  • 1603 Demography