Somali heritage and identity: home and abroad, past and present

This original book project is on Somali heritage and identity, home and abroad, past and present, which includes research on Somali Diaspora community in the UK, Kenya, Scandinavia and the Netherlands. It deals with migration, heritage of refugees, trauma and the role of heritage in wellbeing. This research is using the Knowledge-Centered Approach in order to understand what memory, materials and experiences people cherish in their moments of enforced migration and in their process of coping in the new environments. The project investigates the myths of origins, and how these take shape in the dominant narrative as well as the materialization of this narrative. It explores also Somali nation building, past and present and how it uses legends and fictive kindship to build alliances within the regional politics as well as across the sea with the Indian Ocean and Arabian communities. It looks at how religiosity in terms of identity is changing with Somali communities back home and abroad. It also assesses social cohesion and the notion of belonging especially in the European heritage context in general and Somali Londoners in particular.

Resulting publications:

A first draft of the book has been completed. The book is also to be published by Routledge.