The geopolitics of a female Chinese migrant charity network in Zimbabwe: Insights from Love in Africa

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on Love in Africa, a female Chinese migrant charity network in Zimbabwe and examines its geopolitical influence. It makes two vital finding by drawing on the theories of critical geopolitics, feminist geopolitics and public diplomacy, as well as the criticism for the lack of attention to transnational geopolitics and insufficient conceptualization of the links between state and non-state actors in existing studies. First, this study shows that migrant organizations such as Love in Africa have dealt with many neglected details in China’s state-led economic development process, which explains that migrant groups do not always challenge the state geopolitical discourse but can also form synergy with it in a form that is different from state practices. Second, this study illustrates how Love in Africa as a feminized subjectivity carves out an alternative space of love, care and transnational solidarity in contrast to the masculinity demonstrated by the state power of China. Even being excluded from state practices, these Chinese females have formed a joint force with the state in shaping geopolitical discourse. These findings reinforce the link between state and non-state actors that is under-explored in existing critical geopolitical studies and prompt an agenda of transnational geopolitics.

KEYWORDS:

• Critical geopolitics
• feminist geographies
• transnational migration
• international charity network
• african studies
• love in africa

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Acknowledgments

This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants No. 42171226; 41871127; 41630635). The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers who give comments for earlier draft of this article. All errors remain to ourselves.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants No. 42171226; 41871127; 41630635); National Nature Science Foundation of China [41630635,41871127,42171226]