본국으로 귀환한 아프리카 이주 노동자의 사회문화적 적응과 정체성에 관한 연구: 가나와 나이지리아 노동자를 중심으로

초록

This paper analyzes return migration of African migrants in Korea. Most of African migrants are non-registered status in Korea because they are not allowed in the program of ‘industrial trainee’ or ‘employment permit’ policies. African migrants adjust in Korea through their various associations organized based on countries, ethnic groups or communities of origin. However, muslim migrants organize joint association of West African muslim countries because the majority of African migrants are Christians in Korea. Among the African migrants, Nigerians and Ghnaians are major group. African migrants work in the small factories, poultry and nursery farms, and junkyard. Their basic life experiences are similar with other migrant workers. However they tend to identify themselves as business men instead of factory workers. Their purpose of migration is pursuing business career based on entrepreneurship. They spend their time to research new products in Korea to develop their own future trade business in weekend and after work. In this regard, African migrants develop different strategies to accomplish their migration careers from other Asian migrants. This paper explores the way of constructing identity of African migrant workers and pursuing their career of entrepreneur or trader. African migrants' efforts to create trade networks illustrates transnational feature by connecting relatives in Africa and other countries. These features confirm the fact that African migrants' migration into Korea should be analyzed in the context of globalization and transnational shift of contemporary world. This paper also describes returned African migrants' life in Nigeria and Ghana. Most of African workers return to their homeland with containers loaded up various Korean products such as embroidery clothes, accessary, used clothes, used car and automobile spear parts to start or expand their own business. However, returned migrant workers face to neoliberal market competition in the globalized world. They compete with not only African merchants but also Chinese, Indian, Korean, and Lebanese traders. In these situations, they utilize their experiences of Korea in re-adjusting homeland as well as reconstructing their identity of transnational migrants and traders. This paper illustrates the process of globalization from the below using African migrant workers' experiences.

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