--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a certain generation of African…" description: "\"“For a certain generation of African immigrants cleaning offices became part of the culture like male circumcision and supporting Arsenal.”\" — Ben Aaro..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/ben-aaronovitch-3199_diaspora_for-a-certain-generation-of-african-immi_1241528.jpg" --- # For a certain generation of African immigrants cleaning… ![“For a certain generation of African immigrants cleaning offices became part of the culture like male circumcision and supporting Arsenal.” quote by Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/ben-aaronovitch-3199_diaspora_for-a-certain-generation-of-african-immi_1241528.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/ben-aaronovitch-3199_diaspora_for-a-certain-generation-of-african-immi_1241528.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/ben-aaronovitch-3199_diaspora_for-a-certain-generation-of-african-immi_1241528.jpg) > ““For a certain generation of African immigrants cleaning offices became part of the culture like male circumcision and supporting Arsenal.”” [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how certain jobs become normalized cultural practices within immigrant communities, akin to rites of passage. **In simple terms:** Immigrant jobs can become cultural norms. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge limiting cultural expectations. Themes immigration work culture identity stereotypes Mood reflective critical empathetic Type observational analytical sociological When to use this quote - job search - career counseling - community outreach - policy making Key Concepts social integration economic pressure identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How do cultural expectations shape career choices? - What alternatives exist to break such cycles? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify diverse experiences and ignore individual agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [African Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-immigrants-3877713/) [Circumcision Supporting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumcision-supporting-3877714/) [Diaspora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diaspora/) [Generation African](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation-african-3260799/) [Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants/) [Immigrants Cleaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants-cleaning-3877712/) ## Related quotes > [Me being a black girl in London, whose mom is first-generation African and whose dad is West Indian, gives me a different view. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estelle/me-being-a-black-girl-in-london-whose-mom-is-first-generation-african/) [Estelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estelle/) > [There's nothing more true in being a child of a diaspora, a child of immigrants. We're completely new to our parents. We're not something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/there-s-nothing-more-true-in-being-a-child-of-a-diaspora-a-child-of/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [I invoke that sense of the particulars of that kind of literal travel and what that has meant historically in terms of diasporas, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/i-invoke-that-sense-of-the-particulars-of-that-kind-of-literal-travel/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) > [Through centuries of struggle, Jews across the world have been witnesses not only against the crimes of men, but for faith in God, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/through-centuries-of-struggle-jews-across-the-world-have-been/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Eliminate the Diaspora, or the Diaspora will surely eliminate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ze-ev-jabotinsky/eliminate-the-diaspora-or-the-diaspora-will-surely-eliminate-you/) [Ze'ev Jabotinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ze-ev-jabotinsky/) > [The time has come to end the suffering and the plight of millions of Palestine refugees in the homeland and the Diaspora, to end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-abbas/the-time-has-come-to-end-the-suffering-and-the-plight-of-millions-of/) [Mahmoud Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-abbas/) > [“Our people, our history, our struggle is more than a war, more than a fall, more than a favorite dish, more than one monolithic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bao-phi/our-people-our-history-our-struggle-is-more-than-a-war-more-than-a/) [Bao Phi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bao-phi/) > [Food in general is really important for any diaspora, and it's really important for Korean people. This was a connection my mom and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-zauner/food-in-general-is-really-important-for-any-diaspora-and-it-s-really/) [Michelle Zauner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-zauner/) > [“I am forced to admit that I am, to them, nothing but a series of destinations with no meaningful expanses in between. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/i-am-forced-to-admit-that-i-am-to-them-nothing-but-a-series-of/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [I like Diaspora because it's audacious, it's driven by passion, and it's very, very hard to do. After all, who in their right mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/i-like-diaspora-because-it-s-audacious-it-s-driven-by-passion-and-it/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [Commerce is a noble profession, and Jews should get over any self-hatred they might harbor from contemplating the capitalist spirit of diaspora Judaism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/commerce-is-a-noble-profession-and-jews-should-get-over-any-self/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Like many of my friends in the Pakistani diaspora - and many of my friends in Pakistan itself, for that matter - I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/like-many-of-my-friends-in-the-pakistani-diaspora-and-many-of-my/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“And the further they go, the more they'll remember, they can take it from me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohinton-mistry/and-the-further-they-go-the-more-they-ll-remember-they-can-take-it/) [Rohinton Mistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohinton-mistry/) > [The museum in D.C. is really a narrative museum - the nature of a people and how you represent that story. Whereas the Studio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/the-museum-in-d-c-is-really-a-narrative-museum-the-nature-of-a-people/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [I am proud of being a Greek of the diaspora.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-papandreou/i-am-proud-of-being-a-greek-of-the-diaspora/) [George Papandreou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-papandreou/) ## More by Ben Aaronovitch > [“He was from Yorkshire, or somewhere like that, and like many Northerners with issues, he'd moved to London as a cheap alternative to psychotherapy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/he-was-from-yorkshire-or-somewhere-like-that-and-like-many/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“I left in a hurry before he could change his mind, but I want to make it clear that at no point did I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/i-left-in-a-hurry-before-he-could-change-his-mind-but-i-want-to-make/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [The general public have a warped view of the speed at which an investigation proceeds. They like to imagine tense conversations going on behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/the-general-public-have-a-warped-view-of-the-speed-at-which-an/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“Something round and dirty and white was resting near my foot. It was a skull. I picked it up. ‘Is that you, Nicholas?’ I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/something-round-and-dirty-and-white-was-resting-near-my-foot-it-was-a/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [Coffee arrived and the espresso was excellent, like an aromatic electric fence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/coffee-arrived-and-the-espresso-was-excellent-like-an-aromatic/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“Fuck me,' I said to Toby. 'We're living in Isengard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/fuck-me-i-said-to-toby-we-re-living-in-isengard/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“Peter Grant,’ I said. ‘Recent arrival, slacker and man of very little fame.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/peter-grant-i-said-recent-arrival-slacker-and-man-of-very-little-fame/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [What do you think you're doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/what-do-you-think-you-re-doing/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“My mum translated this in her head to "witchfinder," which was good because like most West Africans, she considered witchfinding a more respectable profession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/my-mum-translated-this-in-her-head-to-witchfinder-which-was-good/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“Right from the start Abigail used to moan and fidget as her hair was relaxed or braided or thermally reconditioned, but her dad was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/right-from-the-start-abigail-used-to-moan-and-fidget-as-her-hair-was/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“The mark was from the glue that once held a folder into which a library card would have fitted back in the day when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/the-mark-was-from-the-glue-that-once-held-a-folder-into-which-a/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [It's a sad fact of modern life that if you drive long enough, sooner or later you must leave London behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/it-s-a-sad-fact-of-modern-life-that-if-you-drive-long-enough-sooner/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [This I know for a fact: the reason African women have children is so that there's someone else to do the housework.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/this-i-know-for-a-fact-the-reason-african-women-have-children-is-so/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“There’s always a secret door,” I said. “That’s why you always need a thief in your party.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/there-s-always-a-secret-door-i-said-that-s-why-you-always-need-a/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [ You know, your species \[humans\] has the most amazing capacity for self-deception, matched only by its ingenuity in trying to destroy itself. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/you-know-your-species-humans-has-the-most-amazing-capacity-for-self/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) [Explore all 134 Ben Aaronovitch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) ## More Diaspora quotes > [I am proud of being a Greek of the diaspora.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-papandreou/i-am-proud-of-being-a-greek-of-the-diaspora/) [George Papandreou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-papandreou/) > [The museum in D.C. is really a narrative museum - the nature of a people and how you represent that story. Whereas the Studio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/the-museum-in-d-c-is-really-a-narrative-museum-the-nature-of-a-people/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [There's nothing more true in being a child of a diaspora, a child of immigrants. We're completely new to our parents. We're not something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/there-s-nothing-more-true-in-being-a-child-of-a-diaspora-a-child-of/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“And the further they go, the more they'll remember, they can take it from me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohinton-mistry/and-the-further-they-go-the-more-they-ll-remember-they-can-take-it/) [Rohinton Mistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohinton-mistry/) > [Like many of my friends in the Pakistani diaspora - and many of my friends in Pakistan itself, for that matter - I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/like-many-of-my-friends-in-the-pakistani-diaspora-and-many-of-my/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [Commerce is a noble profession, and Jews should get over any self-hatred they might harbor from contemplating the capitalist spirit of diaspora Judaism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/commerce-is-a-noble-profession-and-jews-should-get-over-any-self/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I like Diaspora because it's audacious, it's driven by passion, and it's very, very hard to do. After all, who in their right mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/i-like-diaspora-because-it-s-audacious-it-s-driven-by-passion-and-it/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [“I am forced to admit that I am, to them, nothing but a series of destinations with no meaningful expanses in between. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/i-am-forced-to-admit-that-i-am-to-them-nothing-but-a-series-of/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [Food in general is really important for any diaspora, and it's really important for Korean people. This was a connection my mom and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-zauner/food-in-general-is-really-important-for-any-diaspora-and-it-s-really/) [Michelle Zauner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-zauner/) > [“Our people, our history, our struggle is more than a war, more than a fall, more than a favorite dish, more than one monolithic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bao-phi/our-people-our-history-our-struggle-is-more-than-a-war-more-than-a/) [Bao Phi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bao-phi/) > [The time has come to end the suffering and the plight of millions of Palestine refugees in the homeland and the Diaspora, to end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-abbas/the-time-has-come-to-end-the-suffering-and-the-plight-of-millions-of/) [Mahmoud Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-abbas/) > [Eliminate the Diaspora, or the Diaspora will surely eliminate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ze-ev-jabotinsky/eliminate-the-diaspora-or-the-diaspora-will-surely-eliminate-you/) [Ze'ev Jabotinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ze-ev-jabotinsky/) > [I invoke that sense of the particulars of that kind of literal travel and what that has meant historically in terms of diasporas, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/i-invoke-that-sense-of-the-particulars-of-that-kind-of-literal-travel/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) > [Through centuries of struggle, Jews across the world have been witnesses not only against the crimes of men, but for faith in God, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/through-centuries-of-struggle-jews-across-the-world-have-been/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Look, we have existed for 4,000 years - 2,000 years in diaspora, in exile. Nobody in the Middle East speaks their original language but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/look-we-have-existed-for-4-000-years-2-000-years-in-diaspora-in-exile/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) [Browse all 78 Diaspora quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diaspora/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For a certain generation of African immigrants cleaning offices became part of the culture like male circumcision and supporting Arsenal.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ben Aaronovitch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/for-a-certain-generation-of-african-immigrants-cleaning-offices/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Diaspora" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/for-a-certain-generation-of-african-immigrants-cleaning-offices/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/ben-aaronovitch-3199_diaspora_for-a-certain-generation-of-african-immi_1241528.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/ben-aaronovitch-3199_diaspora_for-a-certain-generation-of-african-immi_1241528.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/ben-aaronovitch-3199_diaspora_for-a-certain-generation-of-african-immi_1241528.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For a certain generation of African immigrants cleaning offices became part of the culture like male…” — Ben Aaronovitch", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ben Aaronovitch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“For a certain generation of African...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/for-a-certain-generation-of-african-immigrants-cleaning-offices/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/for-a-certain-generation-of-african-immigrants-cleaning-offices/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```