The Social Solidarity Economy Organizations of People of African Descent in Europe: A Systematic Scoping Review

The Social Solidarity Economy (SSE) plays a crucial role in the lives of People of African Descent (PAD). The SSE is where PAD find refuge and meet their socioeconomic needs. It also enables them to actively contribute to the economy and societies. However, the endeavors and contributions of PAD in the SSE have not been well recognized or documented, especially in the context of Europe. The purpose of our study was to fill this knowledge gap by mapping the SSE organizations (SSEOs) of PAD in Europe. To do so, informed by the Diverse Economies Theory, we employed a systematic scoping review method through which we identified and examined 109 previous studies. The results showed the existence of 24 specific types of SSEOs owned by 21 different PAD communities in 17 European countries. The results also revealed that these organizations engaged in all sectors of the economy, producing goods, services, and knowledge, and making multifaceted contributions to the economy and societies in both the host and origin countries. Given their contributions, governments and other stakeholders should support these organizations in terms of recognizing their existence and contribution, collaborating and cocreating with them, and helping them address their major challenges including funding-related problems and discrimination.