For Me It’s Just Living : Identity Construction in the Transnational Lives of First and Second Generation Somalis in The Netherlands
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2012
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en
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Abstract
Processes of globalisation and transnationalism greatly transformed the way we study
migration and migrants’ – or refugees’ – attachments to their homelands, as well as to the
receiving country they have migrated, or fled to. Transmigrants thus have significant
implications for migration studies and more concretely, for the role of the nation-state –
challenging state-centrism and other conventional discourses. Under the process of
transnationalism refugees’ relation to the nation-states changes, as well as their everyday lives
and identities. Transnationalism is relatively young and currently one of the key concepts and
perspectives in this field of study; however, the phenomenon itself is not new. It helps us in
understanding the social behaviour of migrants, their relation to place, as well as their
construction of identities.
Viewed through the lenses of transnationalism, this research focuses on first generation
Somali refugees and their offspring (second generation) living in the Netherlands and asks how
do they engage in transnational practices and negotiate and construct their identities within a
transnational setting, and through examining the mentioned phenomena, tries to comprehend
what are the overall implications for their everyday lives and what are the inter- and intragenerational
similarities and differences. This is of great relevance especially when discussing
the second generation, since they are more likely than their parents to maintain only symbolic
and emotional ties. In order to answer to these questions, discussions on nation-state, home,
and belonging are also integrated into the study. Focus is put on the narratives of the
respondents and their self-perception regarding their transnational practices, and most
importantly, their identities. With tackling the issues mentioned, this study is of great societal,
as well as scientific relevance for the migration field of study, which indicates its potential
contribution to the existing literature related to the themes researched in this thesis.
International migration is not only a process of moving from place A to place B, but it also
consists of numerous links and networks between migrants situated in several places around
the world. With regular connections and flows of ideas and objects crossing borders of nationstates,
and thus living transnational lives, they establish transnational social field, reconstruct
the concepts of place, nation-states, identity, etc. Migrants can practice transnationalism in
various ways, with different intensity and through diverse types of activities, crossing the
dualities traditionally prevailing in migration and diaspora discussions, and thus recognizing
migrants’ numerous allegiances to places and societies. However, when analysing the intensity
and types of transnational practices, one should bear in mind that first generation Somalis are
refugees and that their motives for migration differ from those of labour migrants, as well as
the nature of their transnational activities, which clearly reflects the circumstances of the
country from which they have fled and their distinctive attitude towards, in this case, Somalia.
This is the first among the many indicators of how any omission of the discussion about
nation-state would point to a study’s deficiency. While the role of the nation-state is actually
being reformulated, – since transnationalism has great implications for its national identity,
related to belonging, loyalty, etc. – it still holds a tight rein on several complex matters
referring to regulations of transnational practices and identities. The latter is at the core of this
research, especially when in a discussion with the second generation, whose identities are still
easier to influence on and therefore change, since they were raised in transnational
households while being simultaneously surrounded by the Dutch society, for all their lives.
This small-scale case study is predominantly a qualitative research, which is considered as
the best type of research for answering the questions related to the complex social phenomena
captured in the research questions. The very core method of this study is the interview –
which reveals their histories of mobility, feelings of attachment and self-perception of their
identities – besides literature review, participant observation and the use of the namegenerators
for studying the social networks of participants. The interviews were semistructured
and thus in-depth, in order to get an insight into the dynamics of refugees’
transnationalism. The study employs purposeful sampling in order to obtain rich data and as
much useful information as possible. The sample consists of twenty Somalis in total; ten
representatives of the first generation, 6 women and 4 men, who fled the country of Somalia
at the beginning of the 1990s, and the same number and gender ratio of their children –
second generation representatives – who are between 18 and 24 years of age. After the field
research, obtained data was transcribed and analysed, and results presented in the empirical
chapters.
As already explained, the research is about first and second generation Somalis living in the
Netherlands. The parents fled from Somalia due to unbearable circumstances and from what
appears to be a never-ending conflict – although current developments might be more
promising – or they went to the Netherlands through the family reunification programme.
Somalis are predominantly Muslims and social relations among them are characterized by the
system of clan relations. Due to the humanitarian crisis and the length of the conflict-related
circumstances, they are one of the most dispersed people in the world, presenting the third
largest refugee group, comprising 770,154 people (as of January 2011). On the other hand the
Netherlands, which accepts Somalis as part of the resettlement programme, has been
changing integration policies and adjusting them to the public atmosphere in the country, and
vice versa; the public opinion reflects the governments’ policies. In any case, even though the
participants in this research felt a substantial change in how they are perceived by the Dutch
after 9/11 2001, they are generally very satisfied with living in the Netherlands and its society.
The respondents generally possess transnational consciousness but are practicing
transnationalism to a very different extent – in terms of the level, frequency, and intensity;
variations are possible to observe intra-generationally (second generation), and especially
inter-generationally. In general, practices are of broader nature, involving material as well as
symbolic ones, and in the case of youngsters, they are experiencing transnational lives
primarily through the ways of belonging, rather than being. One of the reasons for this type of
practices stems from their refugee status and the circumstances in Somalia, which prevent
some of them from getting more deeply involved (capacity and desire nexus). Their status has
also a great impact on their positioning in the host society, their attitude towards their
homeland and the formation of their identities, indicating the relevance of place in the
formation of identities. Moreover, the second generation seems to more or less successfully
combine transnational orientation – though limited – and their integration into the Dutch
society. This results in the hybrid identities they construct and in the mixed cultural practices,
even though everyday lives of the majority are still captured in the framework of the Somali
culture and Islamic religious belief. Due to the self-perception and perception of them by
others, they feel a gap between them and the Somali culture, as well them and the Dutch
culture, values, etc., and consequently feel estranged from both societies. Negotiating
‘Somaliness’ and ‘Dutchness’ thus varies between the generations, as well as within the two.
This has a great and consequently diverse impact on their lives.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen