Claire Adida

Fields

Comparative Politics, Africa, International Relations

Research and Teaching Interests

Comparative Politics, Africa, Ethnic Politics, Identity, Comparative Political Development, Comparative Political Economy, Comparative Political Behavior, Field Methods.

Dissertation

Immigrant Integration and (In)security in Africa

My dissertation asks why some immigrant communities successfully integrate into their host societies in Africa while others face exclusion and violence. It studies the determinants of identity and group relations in diverse societies, through the lens of South-to-South migration. Half of all immigrants settle in developing countries, yet we know little about this immigrant experience. I introduce the variation in immigrant integration and insecurity in Africa, using a dataset I compiled of mass immigrant expulsions in sub-Saharan African countries between 1960 and 2000. I then offer a new theory to explain immigrant-host relations in countries where immigration is largely informal and a-legal. Using original data from surveys and interviews I collected during twelve months of field research in West Africa, I test the prediction that cultural similarities between immigrants and hosts exacerbate immigrant-host relations because immigrant leaders act to preserve their distinct group identity and host members reject those they fear will easily blend in and free ride on their indigenous benefits. My findings suggest that cultural similarities hurt immigrant-host relations, countering the conventional wisdom that cultural proximity facilitates social integration.These findings contribute to the literatures on ethnic identity, minority integration, colonial legacies, and inter-group cooperation and violence.

Dissertation Committee Members:

David Laitin (Chair), Jeremy Weinstein, James Fearon, Doug McAdam