A Scoping Review of Black sub-Saharan African men participating in civic life as they migrate, resettle, and Integrate in Australia

A Scoping Review of Black sub-Saharan African men participating in civic life as they migrate, resettle, and Integrate in Australia

This study critically examines existing knowledge from published literature concerning the participation of Black Sub-Saharan African men in civic activities in Australia from the year 2000-2020. The scoping review seeks to highlight emergent themes and pinpoint gaps in the literature about participation in politics, sports, music, and cultural activities. Black sub- Saharan African men may engage in volunteerism; and advocacy (or activism) within the civil sphere of Australia. This study seeks to foster interest in the participation and integration of Black sub-Saharan African men within Australian society. This scoping review critically examined, analysed, summarised, and interpreted the literature regarding the participation of Black sub-Saharan African men who migrated to Australia as they resettled and integrate into society. This iterative review is based on the Arksey and O’Malley (2005) five-stage model. It explored existing literature on the lived experiences of Black sub-Saharan African men as they participate in civic activities. A total of 82 articles were reviewed in this research study. The thematic concerns of the articles were analysed and examined to find what the dominant discourse in terms of barriers or positive participation in civic activities by Black sub-Saharan African men. The process of resettlement, integration and participation in civic activities is long and complex for Black Sub-Saharan African men and other minority groups. While there are significant barriers (Baak, 2018; Benier et al., 2021; Udah & Singh;2019 Dhanji; Uptin, 2021; Windle, 2008) to the participation of Black sub-Saharan African men in civic activities in Australia; there are also opportunities to diversify(Barrie et al, 2018) and enrich the public sphere (Hiruy & Hutton, 2019) of Australia. Australia’s population growth and the formulation of its civic spaces is a continuous process in which Black sub-Saharan African men’s participation is integral (Bah, 2017). A multifaceted approach to reducing the barriers and obstacles faced by Black sub-Saharan African men can potentially create a more egalitarian public sphere where all Australia's residents can participate. Furthermore, research on the Black sub-Saharan African community in Australia seems to focus overwhelmingly on South Sudanese, East Africans, and Africans from Southern Africa. None of the 82 articles reviewed in this explicitly focused on Black sub-Saharan men in Australia who hail from West Africa. This scoping review could spur interest in studying the heterogeneity among Black sub-Saharan men in Australia.

File reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher/author.