What do we know about the experiences of belonging for [Black] Africans in Australia? A systematic scoping review

Abstract

Belonging is political. While it is a felt-and-embodied experience, it is also heavily mediated by power. For racially and culturally minoritised people, belonging is expressed in hidden, often racialised codes articulated through an “us and them” framework. Within this systematic scoping review, critical issues of belonging are made visible, indicating that belonging for Black Africans in Australia is a highly racialised and complex cultural experience and significantly impacts their sense of self, identity, agency, citizenship and participation, social integration and inclusion. This study found the core themes on experiences of belonging for this cohort, are: (1) Racialised (non)belonging, (2) Belonging as access, (3) Belonging as a civic process, (4) Belonging as an active process and (5) Re-claiming belonging. In summary, Black African migrants experienced significant challenges with access to decent employment, housing, education, health services and relationships (including potential dating partners), which affected their sense of felt belonging. The literature showed that belonging for this group was a constant negotiation. It included constructing and reconstructing dual identities to accommodate their experiences of Australianness and Africanness while resisting labels that homogenised them. There was also an active process of building belonging through reclaiming places of community and dignity.