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Chronic violence has characterized Somalia for over two decades, forcing nearly two million people to flee. A significant number have settled in camps in neighboring countries, where children were born and raised. Based on in-depth fieldwork, this book explores the experience of Somalis who grew up in Kakuma refugee camp, in Kenya, and are now young adults. This original study carefully considers how young people perceive their living environment and how growing up in exile structures their view of the past and their country of origin, and the future and its possibilities.
List of contents
List of Figures
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
Maps
Introduction
Chapter 1. The Past is a Foreign Country
Chapter 2. Kakuma is Another Planet
Chapter 3. Growing Up in Kakuma: This is Home
Chapter 4. The Somali Way: Ethnocultural Diversity and Cultural Preservation
Chapter 5. A World in Movement: The Camp as a Connected Place
Chapter 6. They Promised Us America: A Story of Deception and Mistrust
Chapter 7. Through Their Eyes: Representation and Self-Representation
Chapter 8. In Memory of the Future
Chapter 9. A Note on Life after the Camp
Chapter 10. Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendix: A Short Overview of Key Informants
Index
About the author
Catherine-Lune Grayson holds a PhD in Anthropology and is Policy Adviser at the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Summary
Chronic violence has characterized Somalia for over two decades, forcing nearly two million people to flee. A significant number have settled in camps in neighboring countries, where children were born and raised. Based on in-depth fieldwork, this book explores the experience of Somalis who grew up in Kakuma refugee camp, in Kenya, and are now young adults. This original study carefully considers how young people perceive their living environment and how growing up in exile structures their view of the past and their country of origin, and the future and its possibilities.
Additional text
“This is an outstanding and original contribution to scholarship in both refugee studies and anthropology. Rarely does one get such candid portraits of refugee youth, their rich yet truncated lives in extended exile, and the hopes they hold on to.” · Jennifer Hyndman, York University, Canada
