The Somali community is relatively new in the UK and the majority of Somalis in Bristol are living under poor conditions in deprived areas. According to literature and research relevant for this study ethnic identity seems to be of more importance when threatened by environmental or social changes, such as experiences of migration. Young people are more exposed to such a process of identity construction. The aim for this study was to get a more profound understanding for the significance of migration for young Somali people’s identity formation in Bristol. We aimed to answer the following questions; 1) how do the young people describe their experiences of migration, 2) how do they describe their place in the new society and 3) how do they describe their ethnic and national belonging. To reach our aim we have performed six semi-structured qualitative interviews with three young Somali women and three young Somali men in Bristol in the age 18 to 25. The results show that the young participants’ experience of migration differs in many ways. The young people express a certainty about their personal identity as well as their ethnic and national belonging to the Somali community. Hence, looking at the conclusions from a holistic view a firm uncertainty and contradictorily reflections are revealed. Some influencing aspects on the significance of migration for the young people’s identity formation are exposed. The age at the time of leaving Somalia and arriving in the UK is one; the age at the time the interviews were held is another. The family and friends along with religion, the Somali language and the social surroundings in the living area all have influence in the Somali young people’s experiences of forming a life as well as an established identity in Bristol.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:miun-543 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Ravelin, Pauliina, Johansson, Malin |
| Publisher | Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för socialt arbete, Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för socialt arbete |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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