Tabea Scharrer

Based at: Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology

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When the Somalian exodus started at the beginning of the 1990s, most refugees fled to the neighbouring countries including Kenya. Others moved to Europe or North America, but also to Arab countries. There is, however, a growing group of Somalian migrants, who, after having lived abroad for a number of years, are now 'returning' to East Africa. In many cases, this means settling in Kenya, as Somalia is still regarded as too insecure and volatile. In Kenya they find a strong Somali community, made up from ethnic Somalis who are Kenyan citizens, as well as refugees from Somalia living in Kenya. 

 

Many of these Somali return migrants in Kenya are parents with children, who try to counter perceived 'Westernisation' through dhaqan celis (return to culture). Others are young adults who grew up outside of East Africa and have often no remembrance of Somalia, but try to establish themselves in the region. Some of these return migrants are clearly visible due to their conspicuous affluence. There are, however, also those Somalians who were forced to move back to the East African region - these 'deportees' were in many cases either legally or socio-economically excluded. 

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This project focuses on the question how experiences of migration shape the decisions to stay or to re-migrate. Concentrating on Somalian return migrants in Kenya, the project will furthermore examine how new forms of solidarity and identification can emerge in the migration process. At the same time, it will refine categorisations, such as the meaning of 'arrival' and 'return'. 

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This project was part of the Research Initiative on Migration of the Max Planck Society 'The Challenges of Migration, Integration and Exclusion'