This thesis studies how a non-white minority integrates into Swedish society in order to better understand the particularities of Sweden’s immigration model and to see if it is as suitable as it is made out to be in EU circles. It does so through an exhaustive review and cross-examination of existing literature on immigration in Sweden, and by collecting opinions from members of a long established immigrant community: the Eritreans in Sweden. It calls for a more nuanced approach in education and society to issues of race and ethnicity, so that the majority of the population realizes that using and discussing these categories should not be avoided, because they are useful to come to terms with diversity. By not focusing exclusively on economic insertion, but by also placing emphasis on the socio-cultural integration of minority identities, it will point out to the need for more comprehensive integration policies that equate opportunities and chances of non-white Swedes with those of natives and ensure equal access to the labor and housing markets. It contends that ‘top-down’ legislation and systemic implementation of such policies foster feelings of ‘belongingness’ among non-white Swedes, and contribute to the creation of social capital and to the overall peaceful coexistence of Swedes of different cultural backgrounds.

The aim of this thesis is analysing the way in which second-generation Eritreans in Bologna re-construct their Eritrean identity. The originality of the thesis is the fact that this type of research has not been done in Bologna yet: Bologna is a multicultural city where its left-wing tradition has appreciated cultural differences differently from other cities in Italy, such as Milan.To reach the aim of the thesis I interviewed some second-generations Eritreans who were born and grew up in Italy. I also used some previous researches that have been conducted in Italy and abroad about the re-creation of second-generation Eritreans’ identity. The whole research is framed in a theoretical framework, which is composed by the definition of four concepts that are useful for the research; these concepts are: culture, identity, nation, and, diaspora.According to this study, there are many ways in which second-generation Eritreans shape their identity in Bologna. The main ways in which second-generation Eritreans shape their Eritrean identity in Bologna are: the encounter with other Eritreans, their parents’ roots, the language, and the holiday trips back to Eritrea.

This is an ethnographic study of the lives and experiences of Eritrean refugee women in Um Gargur, a settlement in eastern Sudan established in 1976. It is based upon fourteen months of fieldwork and builds upon the findings of my 1985 M.Phil, thesis, "A Preliminary Study of the Position of Eritrean Refugees in the Sudan", for which I conducted two months of research in Urn Gargur. While the M.Phil, thesis was a comparative study of Um Gargur and two other cases of resettlement in Africa, here I am concerned primarily with questions of gender, everyday life, and how processes of change and realignments of power impact upon women in displaced heterogeneous societies. After more than a decade in exile the people of Um Gargur continue to be fiercely nationalistic and as unresigned to remaining refugees as they are to assimilating into Sudan. There is also a growing trend towards Islamic conservatism in the settlement. This, coupled with the fact that Um Gargur is composed largely of mistrusted "strangers", means that women experience more restrictions in Um Gargur than they did in their communities of origin. The aim of the thesis is to examine the effect of displacement and exile upon gender roles, social infrastructures, traditions and perceptions, as people of disparate origins, occasionally with conflicting beliefs and mores, negotiate a way of living together. The title "Mothers of Steel" is taken from a riot instigated by women when charges were introduced for water. As the women revolted, their children shouted "Our mothers are steel, our fathers are monkeys!" This represented the main crisis point between men and women. Yet although the title derives from this incident, women, as they feed, nurture, socialise their children and keep their families intact, have clearly become "mothers of steel" in the eyes of their children since they have lived in Um Gargur. Chapter One introduces an overview of the settlement and shows that women's deliberate exclusion from all formal institutions leaves them at a disadvantage despite the fact that over 50% of them are household heads for much of the year. The following chapters examine how categories as diverse as politics, honour, health, and economics, impinge on the lives of the refugee women and their families, and argue that in contexts of displacement, where social realities are constantly being redefined, these categories all have a moral dimension. In Chapters Three and Four I show how limited employment opportunities in Um Gargur have meant that the majority of men continuously resident in the settlement have lost their roles as providers while women's roles have taken on a new symbolic significance. The society attempts to compensate for men's loss of status by placing greater restrictions upon women. Women's reactions to this are varied, but significant numbers of them have redrawn the parameters of "honourable" behaviour to allow themselves more flexibility. Women establish ties, not unlike kinship bonds, which traverse ethnic and religious boundaries and offer limited economic power and physical and psychological support. In Chapter Five I explore the tensions between traditional beliefs and practices and "Western" models of health care. While society's notion of what constitutes honour has calcified in reaction to a situation of extreme social dislocation and jeopardisation of "male" and "female" behaviour patterns, I show in Chapter Six that the women of Um Gargur have recognised their common plight and responded by renegotiating their identity, whilst at the same time being the primary agents - through myths, songs, names, and stories about Eritrea - in the construction of their children's identities as Eritreans. In the Conclusion (Chapter Seven) I introduce the story of the aforementioned water riot to illustrate how radically women's perceptions of their own power have altered, and how their children now perceive them. I suggest that though the process of change has been slow, the pressures faced by the community have meant that women's reconceptualisation of their own roles has been inevitable.

This study explored and described the experiences of Eritrean immigrants regarding utilisation of healthcare services in Indianapolis. Qualitative descriptive phenomenological design was utilised. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview format, on eight conveniently selected Eritrean immigrants, living in Indianapolis. Data were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Framework for data analysis. Three superordinate themes emerged from data analysis: Healthcare financing system, Positive side of healthcare services and Challenges related to utilisation of healthcare service. All these factors have an impact on the utilisation of the Healthcare services by Eritrean immigrants. Recommendations have been put forward to advocate for policy change regarding financing of healthcare services for immigrants and improved healthcare services to accommodate cultural diversity. Further research should be conducted on ways of improving utilisation of healthcare services by Eritrean immigrants in Indianapolis. / Public Health / M.A. (Health Studies)

Thesis explores the ways in which Information and Communication Technology (ICT)use, specifically that of telephones and the Internet, impacts the lives of Eritrean refugees in Rome, Italy. Informal interviews, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation were carried out in a 'center of second reception.' Results show that information obtained through the use of ICT acts on the imaginations of refugees, encouraging or discouraging movement to alternative locations. ICT use can help maintain a sense of emotional "closeness" to family members abroad for some, but not for others. Limitations in access to ICT exist for the refugees and their families in Eritrea that crosscut multiple socio-demographic categories. Finally, surveillance, enacted through ICT use, negotiates power between the Eritrean state and its subjects in the diaspora. / Graduation date: 2012

Eritrean refugees are compelled to flee their country mainly to avoid forced conscription into indefinite military service, arbitrary arrest and detention for prolonged periods without trial. The majority of Eritrean refugees are young people, who leave their country in search of a better life and sources of livelihoods. The mass migration of Eritrean refugees has started to have adverse effects on the country’s socio-economic landscape. The main destination and country of refuge for the majority of Eritrean refugees is Ethiopia. Although no serious violations of human rights have been reported among Eritrean refugees living in Ethiopia, it a well-known fact that the Ethiopian Government has not fully extended the internationally accepted rights of those who have been forced to flee their own states, to refugees. For example, freedom of movement for refugees is restricted, which is obviously compounded by the encampment policy, which requires that all refugees should be confined to designated refugee camps. This situation seriously undermines the UNHCR’s efforts to enhance refugees’ self-reliance, independence, and chances of local integration. There has not been much research undertaken regarding the Ethiopian Government’s legal framework on refugees and its impact on the protection of the rights of refugees. In 2014, Ethiopia hosted the largest number of refugees in Africa. This phenomenon was largely attributed to the Ethiopian Government’s ‘open door’ policy towards refugees. The present study is an attempt to critically examine Ethiopian refugee law and determine the extent to which the national laws protect the rights of refugees. Although the study is limited in scope to the situation of Eritrean refugees, the principles and standards of treatment discussed apply to all refugees living in Ethiopia. / Public, Constitutional and International Law / LL. M.

This study explored and described the experiences of Eritrean immigrants regarding utilisation of healthcare services in Indianapolis. Qualitative descriptive phenomenological design was utilised. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview format, on eight conveniently selected Eritrean immigrants, living in Indianapolis. Data were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Framework for data analysis. Three superordinate themes emerged from data analysis: Healthcare financing system, Positive side of healthcare services and Challenges related to utilisation of healthcare service. All these factors have an impact on the utilisation of the Healthcare services by Eritrean immigrants. Recommendations have been put forward to advocate for policy change regarding financing of healthcare services for immigrants and improved healthcare services to accommodate cultural diversity. Further research should be conducted on ways of improving utilisation of healthcare services by Eritrean immigrants in Indianapolis. / Public Health / M.A. (Health Studies)