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| Diaspora and Identity |
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The background to the forced immigration of the Somalis
is the failure of the national project. It seems that clan based alliances are the central theme of the cultural discourse in the Somali 'imagined community.'
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Image: Refugee camp in Somalia
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However there are dissenting voices that contest the dominant community identities and there is also a counter-tendency to seek out trans-cultural alliances particularly amongst the younger generation. These normally take the form of using elements of Black American-Jamaican culture. |
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Clanship as an element of 'traditional' social structure can be regarded as a focal point for renegotiations of identity for those living in exile. These processes are closely related to a series of localised responses: including changes in the role of the elders in the community and shifts in gender relations.
The crises at 'home' also feed into the social identities of Somalis in the diaspora; there seems to be an urgent need to reformulate the Somali identity, the issue becomes particularly acute in the context of social and political dissolution within Somalia.
Unfortunately it seems that the distinctive feature of the Somali community (comparatively) has been its invisibility and the apparent absence of any organised political or social presence. Specific community histories and identities can affect coping strategies for dealing with common experiences of exile. There is a need to forge new identities, which transcend clan-based alliances and divisions.
Image: Traditional nomadic life in Somaliland
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Dominant community ideas based on clanship need to be contested and opened up to become more encompassing, to seek out transcultural alliances as the basis for solidarity for those with a common history of being former colonial subjects who have been marginalized by the English state.
The nation state is an entity that defines and shapes the individuals within; it presumes a model of homogeneity in order to constitute a shared language, territory, history and culture.
By having its own politics of identity though, such as politics of inclusion and exclusion and the rights to citizenship, every nation-state forces individuals to act and negotiate through its structures.
And so the nation-state as an organisation finds it difficult to merge inclusion and respect for difference. There are many dominant issues around migration, which are at stake not only in policy making, jurisdictional, political and economic sectors but which are also very widely discussed in the media and in every social context.
Link to:
Somali History
Somali Folk Tales
Report on Burao Region of Somaliland
Report on Shamis' First Visit to Somaliland
Image: A more modern approach to travel
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