Paper short abstract:

By assessing the violence faced by African students in India, this paper will reveal the aspirations and hopes that structure African engagements in South-South higher education, as well as their cultural investments in a modernity that does not necessitate relocating to Europe or North America.

Paper long abstract:

This paper will consider the spate of attacks on African students in India between 2010 and 2016. Focusing particularly on the violence of 2016, it will argue that the recent attacks must be understood in terms of the history of African groups in India and, in particular, the politics of race and of 'blackness' in Indian society. By situating the anti-African racism within Indian culture, this paper will argue that we in order to understand the predicament of Africans in India, we need to understand the visions of place and hopes for the future that motivate students to seek a new future in India. In doing so, the paper will contribute to our understanding of African minorities within Indian Higher Education, as well as the variety of African contributions to contemporary South Asia, and the history of South-South global encounters.