North to South Migration

Abstract

The economic crisis set in motion new migration trends in southern European countries. In Portugal, post-crisis migration has occurred in two main directions: northwards to more prosperous European countries and southwards to former Portuguese colonies in Africa—notably oil-producing Angola. Migration from the Global North to the Global South has received little attention in migration theories. In this study, the author argues that Portuguese migration to Angola should be understood not only as a result of the economic crisis, but also as a complex web of intersections in the context of Portuguese culture, Portugal’s linguistic heritage in Angola, family networks, discourses, myths and colonial power.