The Enduring Impacts of Slavery: A Historical Perspective on South–South Migration

Abstract

AbstractIt is impossible to understand contemporary forms and experiences of South–South migration without first understanding the history of migration between countries generally classified as the “Global South”—the Majority World—and the enduring effects of slavery. This chapter begins with a historical overview and reflections on the present-day legacies of the transatlantic slave trade, the single largest forced migration between the countries of the Majority World, which mainly took place between countries in West Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Applying the “Global South” as a critical concept, this chapter examines the lasting impacts of the transatlantic enslavement of Black African peoples as a precursor of contemporary forms of South–South migration and associated responses, representation, and challenges. Arguing that much South–South migration is rooted in historical antecedents, the chapter also highlights the contemporary consequences of slavery for Liberia, where the return of captured and emancipated slaves led directly to the civil wars that devastated the country between 1989 and 2003, leading to significant displacement into other parts of West Africa.