The Reverse Diaspora: African Immigrants and the Return Home

The aim of this study, commissioned under the auspices of the Penn Humanities Forum, was twofold. First, to ascertain why there was an urge in the African immigrant community to return to their country of birth; or to "return home," as it is referred to colloquially. And secondly, to discover how actualized this urge was. Was this wish to return home some fond, yet quixotic longing to return to what was remembered as old and familiar? Or was it the product of a more deep seated nostalgia, one supplemented by careful planning and serious intent? To answer this question I set out to craft a survey in which the questions, and answers, would provide insight into why this segment of America, many who are citizens, many who have been in the US for decades, would decide to leave and return to places they departed long ago.