Office Hours Getting to know… Gana Ndiaye

In a Q&A, Gana Ndiaye discusses his study of Senegalese migration to Brazil, a new course on what it means to be “Black,” and his personal reason for learning Spanish. 

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Gana Ndiaye 

Photo by Dan Renzetti
Gana Ndiaye
Getting to know… Gana Ndiaye
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Before he turned his scholarly focus to Islam and international migration, Gana Ndiaye was a bit of a migrant himself. A native of Senegal, he lived and studied in Morocco, France, Belgium and Brazil before landing in the United States where he earned his Ph.D. in anthropology at Boston University. 

Along the way, he learned to speak seven languages. In addition to speaking the native languages of Senegal, he has studied Spanish, French (the official language in Senegal), Portuguese, and English.

Ndiaye, a new member of Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, is now particularly interested in various aspects of Senegalese migration to Brazil, a research focus that began with a Portuguese-language documentary he wrote and directed called “Senegaleses no Brasil: para além da economia informal” (which translates into “Senegalese Immigrant Lives in Brazil: Beyond Street Vending”).

In the latest edition of “Office Hours,” a Q&A series that introduces new Yale faculty members to the broader community, the assistant professor of ethnicity, race and migration discusses his research, the varying definitions of Blackness, and his love of soccer. 

TitleAssistant Professor of Ethnicity, Race and Migration
Research InterestInternational migration
Prior InstitutionBeloit College, Wisconsin
Started at YaleJuly 2024

Tell me about your documentary. 

Gana Ndiaye: When I was pursuing my Ph.D., I went to Brazil to do research. The plan was to spend just a year there, but three months into my field work, COVID 19 hit, so I ended up spending two years in Brazil. My focus was on the informal economy, how Senegalese street vendors were surviving during the pandemic. But the more work I did, the more I discovered that there were people doing many other things. Young Senegalese who were rappers, for example, or who were working as models, as barbers, as dancers. These were the people I wanted to talk to. I produced the documentary as a side project during that time, but now it has become something big in what I do because visual anthropology is a growing sub-field. I’m working on a second documentary now that looks at the mobilities of Senegalese from Brazil to the United States, especially in New York. 

What’s your current book project?

Ndiaye: My book project is based on my project on the informal economy in Brazil and the Senegalese migration there. Specifically, I’m looking at the question, how does one live an ethical life as a Senegalese Muslim in Brazil? This is important because Islam teaches people how to conduct business. But can you respect those rules when you are an immigrant, when you are struggling to find sustenance? 

For example, Islam forbids the payment or receipt of interest on loans. But when you are a Muslim and you go to a bank that is not a Muslim bank, it is not applying Muslim finance. You take a loan and you are obliged to pay interest. Those are the kinds of negotiations I’m looking at. 

I see you’re teaching a course next semester called “Who is Black and Where?” Sounds intriguing — what’s it about? 

Ndiaye: The course is inspired by my own experience as a Black person who has lived in multiple countries. In each of those places, I found that what Blackness means there is different from what Blackness means in the United States. And now in the United States there is a growing debate between those who call themselves the Foundational Black Americans, or FBAs, the American descendants of slavery, and Black immigrants who have come here recently. Some of the FBAs would claim that the term “Black” should only apply to foundational Americans. 

Of course, the question of who is Black has a long history. The course will trace that history of people trying to make sense of what it means to be Black, who is Black, and trying to see the contexts in which you are read as Black. 

What do you like to do when you’re not working? 

Ndiaye: I like to run — I’m always on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail running. And I’m a big soccer fan. I haven’t found a soccer community yet in New Haven, but I’d like to join a team so I can start playing rather than just watching. 

Do you have a favorite professional soccer team?

Ndiaye: Oh yes. I am a big Real Madrid fan. It’s one of the reasons why I started learning Spanish. I wanted to be able to follow the games.