Paper short abstract:

This paper looks at post-war middle class emergence in Angola. It argues that this group is both being formed and understood in relation to a South-South circuit between both countries, in which new modes of being are acquired, significantly challenging contemporary theories of globalization.

Paper long abstract:

During the long independence and civil war in Angola that raged from 1961-2002, the top and bottom social rungs of society were clearly defined, but the 'in between' was almost non-existent. Post-conflict, of tremendous importance to both future and present is the gradual emergence of a middle class that is bringing with it both new demands of the state, and some of the skills to meet them. Preliminary research has demonstrated that this is taking place largely through high-scale temporary westward migration to Brazil, following migration pathways established over 500 years of Portuguese colonialism in both countries. In preparation for an 18-month ethnographic study to be conducted in Benguela, Angola and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil beginning in July 2013, this paper seeks to understand the ways in which an emergent Angolan middle class is being formed in a trans-Atlantic South-South circuit, and how the group is recognized and defined. It also considers the implications of middle-class formation on Angolan democratic practice, exploring the notion that solid middle classes are prerequisites of strong democracies. Finally, it reads South-South inter-Lusophone migration as an important marker of contemporary shifts in the global economy and changing aspirational centers. These no longer necessitate movement from the global South to North, nor, necessarily, the mastery of English, but in this case speaks to the continuing influence of the echoes of empire in the projects of nation-building, despite a much-changed world.