Abstract

This article examines dating and marriage as a socialisation strategy among African refugee communities in Britain. There is a paucity of literature on dating and marriage among refugees and African refugees in particular. The article looks at the ways in which the refugees attempt to reconstruct a social network in the host country and rebuild lives. The article establishes a typology of marriages among African refugees, highlighting four major types: cultural, social, immigration, and contagious marriages. The article found that from a functionalist view, marriage in exile has fundamental bearing on psychological healing, sense of safety and socio-economic participation and cultural maintenance in the host country. Dating and marrying were found to be determinants of integration in exile for the African refugees.