Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Parental involvement is a term that is associated with parental participation in schools and parents’ support of their children’s education. It is subjective in nature and often difficult to evaluate. In the late 1990s, many Somali families immigrated to South Africa due to the on-going factional wars in their country to take up employment opportunities and start a new life as immigrants. Limited knowledge exists about such parents’ understandings of education and their role in the educational development of their children. In this study, the researcher explored the various forms of support that Somali immigrant parents provide to their school-going children. This basic qualitative research study is situated in an interpretive paradigm. Through snowball sampling, five parents from a Somali community in the Helderberg area of the Western Cape were selected for the study. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews, a focus group interview and observations and was subjected to content analysis. The study found that there are various forms of support that Somali parents offer their primary school children. The support that these parents offer is mostly of physiological nature, such as to feed and to clothe them. The challenges that these Somali participants face are educational, cultural and linguistic. The study found that because the majority of the participants are uneducated, they face limitations in how they can support their children academically. Due to their lack of schooling experience together with their linguistic constraints, the parents’ participation tend to be limited to attending meetings and participating in social events. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ouerbetrokkenheid is ’n term wat algemeen in die skoolgemeenskap gebruik word en word gewoonlik vereenselwig met ouers se deelname aan skoolaktiwiteite asook hul ondersteuning ten opsigte van hul kinders se opvoeding. Ouerbetrokkenheid is subjektief van aard en dikwels moeilik om te evalueer. In die laat 1990’s, net na die beëindiging van apartheid, het baie Somaliese families, as gevolg van die voortdurende stamoorloë in hul land, na Suid-Afrika geëmigreer om nuwe werksgeleenthede te soek en sodoende ’n nuwe lewe as immigrante te begin. Beperkte kennis bestaan oor die uitdagings wat hierdie immigrantefamilies in die gesig staar asook hul rol in die opvoedkundige ontwikkeling van hul kinders. In hierdie studie het die navorser gepoog om die verskillende vorme van ondersteuning wat Somaliese ouers bied, te verken. Hierdie basiese kwalitatiewe navorsingstudie is in ’n interpretatiewe paradigma geleë. Deur middel van ’n sneeubalsteekproef is vyf deelnemers van ’n Somaliese gemeenskap in die Helderberg-gebied in die Wes-Kaap as deelnemers aan die studie gekies. Die data is ingesamel deur semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude, ’n fokusgroeponderhoud en waarnemings, en is toe inhoudelik ontleed. Die studie het bevind dat daar verskillende vorme van ondersteuning onder Somaliese ouers bestaan, wat hulle aan hul skoolgaande kinders bied. Die ondersteuning wat hierdie ouers aan hulle kinders bied, is van fisiologiese aard, byvoorbeeld om kos en klere, te voorsien. Die uitdagings wat hierdie Somaliese deelnemers in die gesig staar is opvoedkundig, kultureel en taalkundig. Die studie het bevind dat omdat die meeste van die ouers ongeletterd is, hulle nie hul kinders met hul skoolwerk kan help nie. As gevolg van hul gebrek aan skoolopleiding asook hul taalkundige beperkinge, is dié ouers se deelname geneig om beperk te wees ten opsigte van die bywoning van skoolvergaderings en deelname aan sosiale geleenthede by die skool.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka unga vuxna somaliers uppfattningar om psykisk ohälsa och hur de ser på att söka stöd och hjälp från omgivningen. Metoden som har använts är kvalitativ metod och data har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Studiens intervjupersoner var unga vuxna med somalisk bakgrund vilka var mellan 19 till 29 år varav tre var kvinnor och tre var män. Studiens analys gjordes med hjälp av en kvalitativ manifest innehållsanalys. Resultatet av studien visar att unga vuxna somaliers uppfattning om psykisk ohälsa ser olika ut och att det är ett svårdefinierat begrepp. Unga vuxna somalier upplever även att det inte går att prata öppet om psykisk ohälsa med omgivningen, särskilt bland familjen. Uppfattning om stöd och hjälp är att det undviks, religionen har även stor betydelse och samtidigt finns det kunskapsbrist gällande var de kan söka hjälp och stöd för psykiska besvär. / The purpose of the study was to explore Somali young adults’ perception of mental illness and how they look on seeking support and help from people in the surrounding environment. The method that has been used is a qualitative method using semi-structured interviews. The participants in the interviews were young adults with a Somali ethnic background. There were three men and women and their ages vary between 19 to 29 years old. The analysis was done using a qualitative manifest content analysis. The result of the study shows that young adults Somalis’ perception of mental illness looked different and difficult to define. Young adult Somalis also feel that it is not possible to talk openly about mental illness with people in their surroundings, especially with members of the family. Their perception of support and help is that it is avoided, religion plays a major role among it and there is a lack of knowledge regarding where they can seek help and support for mental illness.

Cette thèse de doctorat, consacrée à l'étude anthropologique et historique du changement social en pays Somali, appréhende à travers la construction d'un espace local et l'évolution d'un groupe social Somali établi dans les confins frontaliers somalo-éthiopiens. Après avoir reconstitué les conditions de la formation des villages qui constituent le cadre monographique de l'étude, les facteurs, modalités et effets du changement social sont déterminés en prenant pour référence les réponses et réactions produites par les populations d'un lignage. L'échelle d'analyse varie entre biographies d'acteurs et histoire collective des villageois ; entre étude de situations locales et reconstitution d'un environnement politique et économique plus large (régional, national voire international). L'étude de l'évolution des rapports sociaux dans le cadre de la parenté lignagère tout au long du 20ème siècle, dévoile ainsi les fondements des phénomènes de groupes sociaux, qui se manifestent dans le contexte de guerre civile.

Mäkwännǝn Wäldä-Mikaʾel (1852-1906) est un officier du règne de l'empereur d'Éthiopie Menilek II. Gouverneur de Harär en 1887, il est en contact avec les Occidentaux et est en charge de la sécurité du territoire éthiopien, sa province étant limitrophe des colonies européennes de la Corne de l'Afrique. Conseiller diplomatique, il est désigné pour accomplir deux missions officielles à l'étranger en même temps qu'il combat efficacement à Adwa. Son habileté politique et militaire, ses capacités d'administrateur, son sens de la diplomatie, son style personnel, construisent une personnalité publique, sur qui la plupart des textes, tant européens qu'éthiopiens, sont élogieux. Dans cette perception de Mäkwännǝn apparaît le premier écueil d'une approche historique du personnage : Mäkwännǝn est le père de Täfäri / Haylä-Sǝllase, dont le règne impérial organise une mise en spectacle du pouvoir, à laquelle le culte de la mémoire de Mäkwännǝn participe. Cette commémoration prend notamment la forme biographique. Deux biographies amhariques connues à ce jour sont le matériau à partir duquel nous nous efforçons d'analyser la perception du pouvoir en Éthiopie. La première œuvre publiée en 1946, intitulée Yälǝʾul ras Mäkwännǝn tarik, est le travail d'un spécialiste des textes sacrés du christianisme. L'autre biographie, écrite par un auteur proche de la cour est publiée en 1960-61. Nos documents qui relèvent de l'historiographie éthiopienne qui traite du pouvoir à travers l'individu, en dehors des éléments propres à la culture éthiopienne et des incursions vers le genre hagiographique, fournissent des informations de premier ordre sur la façon dont la société perçoit le monde extérieur ainsi que des valeurs qu'elle attribue au pouvoir en place. Les biographies amhariques produisent un modèle de gouvernement idéal qui trouve cependant des correspondances en Afrique de l'Est et en Europe-même.

I media under de senaste åren har en mörk bild av unga svensk-somalier vuxit fram bland annat kopplat till gängkriminalitet. Det påverkar även de unga svensk-somalier som inte hamnat snett. Som en kontrast till dem som hamnat i kriminalitet, arbetslöshet och utanförskap lyfts svensk-somaliska högskolestudenter fram i denna studie. Syftet var att skapa förståelse för deras identitetsskapande och upplevelse av meningsfullhet samt hur det påverkar deras välbefinnande. Studien utgick ifrån ett socialpsykologiskt perspektiv och analyserades med hjälp av teorierna KASAM och social identitetsteori samt begreppen etnicitet, mellanförskap och dubbel kulturell tillhörighet. Metoden var kvalitativ och kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med 10 respondenter. Respondenterna var högskolestuderande med svensk-somalisk ursprung i åldern 21-24 år. Resultatet visade att etnicitet, religionstillhörighet, familj, vänner och föreningsliv varit viktigt i identitetsskapandet. Religion, familj och målmedvetenhet beskrevs som viktiga delar för att skapa meningsfullhet. Dessutom var det vanligt att motgångar och negativt bemötande vändes till en motivationskälla. De framgångsfaktorer för välbefinnande som framkom var gemenskap, socialt stöd, tro, målmedvetenhet och att vända motgångar till motivation. / In the media in the recent years, a negative picture of young Somali-Swedes has emerged, among other things linked to gang crime. It also affects the young Somali-Swedes who have not gone astray. As a contrast to those who ended up in crime, unemployment and exclusion, Somali-Swedish university students are highlighted in this study. The aim was to create an understanding of their identity formation and experience of meaningfulness and how it affects their well-being. The study was based on a social psychological perspective and has been analyzed with the help of the theories Sense of Coherence (SOC) and Social Identity Theory (SIT) as well as the concepts of ethnicity, in-betweenness and dual cultural belonging. The method was qualitative and qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten respondents. The respondents were university students of Somali-Swedish origin aged 21-24. The results showed that ethnicity, religious affiliation, family, friends and participation in civic society were important in the formation of identity. Religion, family and sense of purpose were described as important elements in creating meaning. In addition, it was common that adversity and negative treatment were turned into a source of motivation. The factors of success for well-being that were found were community, social support, faith, purposefulness and turning adversity into motivation.

No description available.

Throughout the 19th century, large numbers of enslaved people were brought from southeastern Africa to work on Somali plantations along the Benadir Coast and Shebelle River. As these southeast Africans were manumitted or escaped bondage, many fled to the west and settled in the heavily forested and fertile Gosha district along the Juba River. Unattached, lacking security, and surrounded by Somalis-speaking groups, these refugees established agricultural communities and were forced to construct new identities. Initially these riverine peoples could easily access clan structures and political institutions of surrounding Somali sub-clans, which in pre-colonial Jubaland were relatively fluid, open, and—in time—would have allowed these groups to become assimilated into Somali society. British colonial rule however changed this flexibility. Somali identity, once porous and accessible, became increasingly more rigid and exclusive, especially towards the riverine ex-slave communities—collectively called the Gosha by the British—who were subsequently marginalized and othered by these new "Somali." This project explores how British colonial rule contributed to this process and argues that in Jubaland province a "Somali" identity coalesced largely in opposition to the Gosha. / Master of Arts

Since 2012 more than 295 676 migrants have arrived in South Africa. Somalis form one of the most visible migrant minorities in the country. Since various studies have been conducted into the mistreatment of migrants and its psychological effects, this study aimed to investigate the reasons that led to the resilience of the Somali community residing in Fordsburg/Mayfair, Johannesburg despite the challenges they encountered. The sample for the study was selected using the purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through the use of face-to-face semi-structured interviews and subsequently analysed following Colaizzi’s (1978) descriptive phenomenological method of data analysis. The findings of the study show that the participants experienced several challenges en route to South Africa and once they reached the country. Their resilience can be attributed to reasons such as individual determination to achieve change, the Somali communal culture, religion and spirituality, the family spirit, gender role adaptation and hard work. / Psychology / M.A. (Research Consultation)

Text in English / The aim of this research is to assess the impact social capital has had on Somali businesses. It argues against the perception that Somali business expertise is derived solely from the principles of economics. It argues that social capital plays a pivotal role in shaping the Somali spirit of entrepreneurship. The role of social capital in the creation of Somali human and financial capital is examined. This thesis, being a qualitative study, used semi-structured, unstructured interviews and direct observation as data collection methods. / Sociology / M.A. (Sociology)

The purpose of this thesis is to be able to contribute a small insight into how first-generationSomali women experience higher education and what they experience as opportunities andobstacles. The data has been collected through a semi-structured qualitative telephoneinterview. The result is based on five interviews with first-generation Somali femalestudents who have lived in Sweden for less than ten years and who are currently pursuingbachelors or master's level of education. The results showed that higher education plays animportant role in the lives of all the students, it also shows that the students socio-culturalupbringing is the driving force behind their pursuing of higher education. Education is alsoseen as crucial for gaining social cultural and economic capital. The results also shows thatthe female students face challenges such as prejudices, socio-cultural barriers and evendifficulties in finding work after their education.