This article focuses on the recent phenomenon of Ethiopian films that prominently feature Chinese characters. As the success of these films relies on representing a stereotypical Chinese ‘Other’, and in reference to China’s ever-growing presence in African countries, we pose broader questions relating to the place of ethnicity, race and national identity in popular cultural productions emerging from the continent. Through an analysis which caters for multiple and at times oppositional interpretations, we argue that the representation of the ‘Chinese Other’ constructed by these films at times criticizes and at times reasserts existing stereotypes and prejudices. The overriding view and intent of the filmmakers to use Chinese characters mainly as narrative devices is often functional in the development of specific, inward-looking social and political criticisms. But this attitude inevitably forces the films to overlook the key issue underlying discourses about otherness in Ethiopian popular media – namely the issue of how to deal with racial multiplicity in a society that defines belonging along rigid and exclusionary terms.

Alessandro Jedlowski

Michael W. Thomas

Journal of African Cultural Studies

The Journal of African Cultural Studies publishes leading scholarship on African culture from inside and outside Africa, with a special commitment to Africa-based authors and to African languages. Our editorial policy encourages an interdisciplinary approach, involving humanities, including environmental humanities. The journal focuses on dimensions of African culture, performance arts, visual arts, music, cinema, the role of the media, the relationship between culture and power, as well as issues within such fields as popular culture in Africa, sociolinguistic topics of cultural interest, and culture and gender. We welcome in particular articles that show evidence of understanding life on the ground, and that demonstrate local knowledge and linguistic competence. We do not publish articles that offer mostly textual analyses of cultural products like novels and films, nor articles that are mostly historical or those based primarily on secondary (such as digital and library) sources.    The journal has evolved from the journal African Languages and Cultures, founded in 1988 in the Department of the Languages and Cultures of Africa at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. From 2019, it is published in association with the International African Institute, London.       Journal  of African Cultural Studies publishes original research articles. The journal also publishes an occasional Contemporary Conversations section, in which authors respond to current issues. The section has included reviews, interviews and invited response or position papers. We welcome proposals for future Contemporary Conversations themes.

The Journal of African Cultural Studies publishes cutting-edge scholarship on African culture, welcoming contributions from both within and outside Africa, with a special emphasis on Africa-based authors and their languages. Our editorial policy encourages interdisciplinary research, encompassing the humanities, including environmental humanities. The journal focuses on various dimensions of African culture, including performance arts, visual arts, music, cinema, the role of media, the relationship between culture and power, as well as issues related to popular culture in Africa and sociolinguistic topics of cultural interest. We particularly welcome articles that demonstrate an understanding of local life and showcase local knowledge and linguistic competence. We do not publish articles that primarily offer textual analyses of cultural products such as novels and films, nor those that are mainly historical or based predominantly on secondary sources (such as digital and library resources). The journal evolved from the African Languages and Cultures journal, founded in 1988 in the Department of the Languages and Cultures of Africa at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. Since 2019, it has been published in association with the International African Institute, London. The Journal of African Cultural Studies publishes original research articles and occasionally features a Contemporary Conversations section, where authors respond to current issues. This section includes reviews, interviews, and invited response or position papers. We welcome proposals for future themes in the Contemporary Conversations section.

《Journal of African Cultural Studies》致力于发表关于非洲文化的前沿学术研究，欢迎来自非洲及其他地区的学者，特别是非洲本土作者及其语言的贡献。我们的编辑方针鼓励跨学科的研究，涵盖人文学科，包括环境人文学科。期刊关注非洲文化的各个维度，包括表演艺术、视觉艺术、音乐、电影、媒体的角色、文化与权力的关系，以及流行文化、社会语言学等领域的相关议题。我们特别欢迎那些能够体现对当地生活的理解，并展示地方知识和语言能力的文章。我们不接受主要以文本分析文化产品（如小说和电影）为主的文章，也不接受主要基于历史或二手（如数字和图书馆）资料的研究。该期刊源自1988年在伦敦东方与非洲研究学院非洲语言与文化系创办的《African Languages and Cultures》。自2019年起，与伦敦国际非洲研究院合作出版。《Journal of African Cultural Studies》发表原创研究文章，同时也会不定期推出“当代对话”专栏，作者可以在此回应当前议题。该专栏包括评论、访谈以及邀请的回应或立场论文。我们欢迎未来“当代对话”主题的提案。

Category	Quartile
社会学	2
社会学, 文化研究	2

Representing ‘otherness’ in African popular media: Chinese characters in Ethiopian video-films

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
CULTURAL STUDIES	2