Dwelling in Drifting: Kenya–China Life Writing Feipiao

Yuan M (2025)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

Afrika Spectrum German Institute of Global and Area Studies / Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien (GIGA) / German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA)

DOI: 10.1177/00020397251321863

Abstract

With an increase in interactions between Kenya and China at all levels, transnational encounters in everyday life add shades and nuances to the understanding of these recent Africa–Asian encounters beyond the grand narrative. This article focuses on the life writing Feipiao (Drifting in Africa) by a Chinese businessman, Deng Changwu, in Kenya. Deng uses the book as a stage to perform his social identities and offer business and psychological advice and popularises the term as an identity marker of Chinese drifters in Africa. The article emphasises how literary narrative as a tool for knowledge production reiterates and challenges prevailing discourses related to Kenya–China relations. Through the concept of dwelling in drifting, this article maps out individual efforts and translocal, transethnic, and transnational networks, revealing new dynamics and modes of relationship building. This perspective transcends the traditional China–Africa–European triangulation, highlighting the hybrid and multi-dimensional nature of knowledge sharing and production in everyday life.

Authors with CRIS profile

Mingqing Yuan Standards of Decision-Making Across Cultures (SDAC) - Knowledge, Authenticity, Time

How to cite

APA:

Yuan, M. (2025). Dwelling in Drifting: Kenya–China Life Writing Feipiao. Afrika Spectrum. https://doi.org/10.1177/00020397251321863

MLA:

Yuan, Mingqing. "Dwelling in Drifting: Kenya–China Life Writing Feipiao." Afrika Spectrum (2025).

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