Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Honors Thesis (Open Access)

Department

Colby College. Global Studies Program

Advisor(s)

Mouhamedoul Niang

Second Advisor

Chaoran Wang

Abstract

This project grew from an observation that despite exhibiting strong national pride, most young Cameroonians express a fervent desire to emigrate. Through a combination of interviews and a review of past literature, I discovered a unique narrative among upper middle class Cameroonian migrants whose stories are generally underrepresented in migration literature. This study investigates how history and sociocultural dynamics help explain the Cameroonian decision to choose France (specifically the Île de France region) as a migration destination. France is particularly relevant because it previously held control of many parts of Cameroon and is one of the most popular migration destinations from Cameroon. This paper also uncovers the mechanisms in place that support and facilitate Cameroonian postcolonial migration.

Although each participant’s experiences were unique, many aspects of their journeys overlap. My findings emphasize how migration is often a collective, family-centered strategy in which relatives, both abroad and in Cameroon, play a crucial role. This often creates a sense of moral responsibility that migrants place on themselves to remain connected to their families who invested in their migration. Altogether, this paper demonstrates how France's enduring cultural, educational, and media influence perpetuates a cycle in which Cameroonians migrate in search of opportunities unavailable at home, often under illusions shaped by incomplete or biased knowledge. The imbalance between information that Cameroonians receive about France and vice versa foreshadows the challenges that Cameroonians experience in France. Cameroonians’ integration into French society is highly reflective of the postcolonial relationship that exists between the two. Although my participants discuss their struggles adjusting to differences in cuisine, accent, and the White majority in France, it becomes clear that Cameroonians were socially conditioned to live there. Participants continuously navigate their identities across national and cultural lines, balancing integration into France with loyalty to their Cameroonian roots. Through shared spaces and community networks, they perform identities that are both adaptive and resistant to postcolonial structures.

All in all, this thesis follows the circular pattern of Cameroonian migration, one where France is not the final destination but a stop along the journey back to Cameroon. The paper reframes migration not as an escape from Cameroon, but a strategy for reclaiming and reinvesting in it. The postcolonial relationship between France and Cameroon created the conditions for this journey to take place, one that truly takes Cameroonians the long way home.

Keywords

circular migration, Cameroon, France, postcolonial, family, immigrant, class, resistance

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