The aim of this research is the presence of Portuguese-speaking African students in São Paulo, Brazil, focusing on their experience of temporary immigration. The data and instances collected for this research refer to: i) life projects and the choice of Brazil; ii) identity and classifying systems; iii) sociability and social networks and, finally, iv) the expectation of returning home or, in other words, how these students think of applying the newly-acquired knowledge in the reality of their home countries. This material has been gathered by means of interviews, with the use of open and closed questions. This group of students constitutes an amplified network of relationships receiving also individuals of other nationalities and enabling both face-to-face contacts and virtual interaction. It is interesting to emphasize that the expectation of returning home is always present among interlocutors.
Brazil/Africa; international relations; racial relations; sociability