This talk explores the unique positionality of second-generation Africans (SGAs) in the UK, highlighting their lived experiences as Black and racialised individuals navigating the legacies of British imperialism and systemic racism. While existing transnational literature often centres on homeland connections or integration into host societies, this talk shifts the focus to the political and racialised dimensions of SGA experiences. Drawing on W.E.B. Du Bois’ concept of “double consciousness” and the evolving legacy of Pan-African thought, I explore how SGAs critically engage with Britain’s colonial history and racial hierarchies to assert a sense of self that is simultaneously rooted in African heritage and global Black solidarity. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in London, Accra, Addis Ababa and Nairobi, the talk will focus on participation in Black-led initiatives and new mobilities in the form of relocation to Africa as emerging practices among SGAs. I argue that these practices reflect a dynamic process of renegotiating identity, belonging, and resistance. The empirical analysis reveals how SGAs cultivate inter-diasporic networks that challenge Eurocentric paradigms of identity and belonging. Through practices that span the UK, Africa, and the wider African diaspora, SGAs reimagine their place in the world, engaging in collective strategies of resistance and empowerment. This political lens offers deeper insights into the complex ways SGAs navigate their identities, advancing our understanding of diasporas and second-generation communities in transnational and racialised contexts.

Dr Mikal Woldu is a UKRI Future Leaders Postdoctoral Research fellow within the Department of Politics and International Relations at SOAS. She received her doctorate in Social Anthropology from SOAS in 2020. She specialises in African migration and diaspora studies, with particular focus on the experiences of African migrant communities in Europe.
Her current research examines the concept of Pan-Africanism through the lens and experiences of second-generation Africans in the UK. The project seeks to highlight the extent to which political dynamics at local, national and supranational levels contribute to specific formulations of identities that are situationally driven, and continuously shifting between specific ethnic and cultural references, and a broader Black and pan-African socio-cultural landscape.
Mikal’s doctoral research examined the ways in which experiences of settlement and organising among Eritrean migrant communities in London and Milan, were shaped by changing political dynamics at national, transnational and supranational level over time. Through a cross-national and an intergenerational approach, her research investigated the case study of the Eritrean diaspora in Italy and the UK, to highlight the complexities and heterogeneity of experiences among migrants from the same country of origin within and across two countries over time.
Prior to joining SOAS, Mikal worked in the third sector, with a focus on refugee mental health and diaspora-led humanitarian response.