Paper short abstract:

Only two decades ago, the term 'African descent' emerged as a designation and political category for people in the African Diaspora around the world. This paper delves into its societal impact and wider political implications of the term in international politics.

Paper long abstract:

Over the last two decades, a growing number of people around the world have identified as being of 'African descent' The term “people of African descent” has gained prominence in international politics and human rights discourse in particular since the Third United Nations World Conference against Racism in 2001. The United Nations primarily associates this term with the descendants of the victims of the African slave trade but recognizes that the term is broader and also includes recent migratory movements. People of African descent are highlighted by the UN as victims of racism and discrimination worldwide. Historically, categorizations for these people were often fragmented along local lines, such as African American or Afro-Colombian, or based on citizenship status (such as migrant, refugee, migration background). Above all, 'African descent' is a global category that transcends national boundaries. I interpret a 'global category' as a process of differentiation uniting people worldwide based on shared characteristics.

This paper explores the emergence of 'African descent' as an international political issue, examining the formation of this category from a sociological-historical perspective. Questions related to the influence of factors such as human rights discourse, political movements, and the meaning of 'African descent' in comparison to other categories for people of African descent. This presentation is based on the results of my PhD project 'The Institutionalization of People of African Descent in International Politics. Using a qualitative content analysis of textual documents from international Organizations and ethnographic observations of UN meetings in Geneva and New York.