Negotiating Ethnic and Transnational Identities in the African Diaspora : Second-Generation Igbo Americans

Examines how young adult second-generation Igbo Americans construct their ethnic and transnational identities in a multicultural society.

Examines how young adult second-generation Igbo Americans construct their ethnic and transnational identities in a multicultural society. Drawing on interviews, cultural narratives, and thematic analysis, this book foregrounds the voices of SGI individuals as they navigate intergenerational tensions, cultural expectations, code-switching, gender roles, and identity formation. It explores identity clashes between Nigerian-born (Igbo) parents and their U.S.-raised children, revealing generational divergences and emergent commonalities. Uchenna Onuzulike develops an Ethnic Communication Theory (ECT) to show how ethnic identity shapes communication styles within diasporic contexts. He unpacks theories of ethnicity, transnationalism, and emotional belonging and discusses the future of the Igbo language and cultural continuity. This book contributes to anthropological understandings of African diasporic identity, cultural transmission, and the dynamic interplay between tradition and modernity in immigrant communities.