Chinese goods in Africa: new extraversions, orientations, and expressions of African agency

Abstract

By proposing to approach African-Chinese relations through the lens of Chinese products, this special issue intends to reveal the many ways in which African agency manifests in globalization. Indeed, Africans are the leading actors in the arrival and dissemination of Chinese goods on the continent, challenging the purported omnipotence of Chinese actors. The focus on Chinese products also provides an innovative perspective on the transformation of contemporary African societies. The low price of Chinese-made goods has contributed to new consumption and business opportunities for many Africans. This has accompanied the continent’s entry into mass consumption. Finally, this special issue raises the question of the management of extraversion. The development of new entrepreneurial activities carries with it a subversive potential that calls into question the historical domination of African and foreign cosmopolitan elites on an increasingly multipolar process of extraversion. On a broader level, it questions the hierarchies and power structures of many sectors that have been going through deep restructuring in the wake of the arrival of Chinese goods.