Tahriib – Journeys into the Unknown: An Ethnography of Uncertainty in Migration

Description

This book offers an innovative approach to migration by exploring Somali youths’ tahriib, their ‘journey into the unknown’. When young Somali men and women refer to the ‘unknown’, they recognize the uncertainty of their journeys. This uncertainty is partly due to the laws and policies that restrict the right to cross national boundaries and define their movements as illegal. Based on fieldwork conducted with Somali youth, mainly from Somaliland, the book details their perceptions of the journey and their practices on the way. The author shows how they position themselves in a constantly changing world before and during the so-called migration crisis that began in 2015. A vital part of tahriib is the constant search for information on possible routes ahead, a search that intensifies as the journey progresses. Specific policy responses, such as biometric registration, influence practices of gathering and sharing information. They have implications for the creation and shattering of hope and the experience of time en route. The book demonstrates that tahriib is ultimately about spending one’s time wisely and about creating and maintaining hope in what may seem hopeless situations. Preface Names, Places, Transliterations and Illustrations Acknowledgements Contents List of Figures 1: Introduction: Uncertainties of Migration History/ies of Migration Colonialism and Beyond En Route: Flows of Information, Hope and Temporality Ethnographic Footsteps Moving Boundaries: Ethical Considerations The Journey into the Unknown References 2: A History of Lives on the Move Snapshots: Histories of Migration- and Refugee Studies Emic Notions of Movement: Nomads, Camels and Coping Strategies Suudaal: Searching for Personal Security Taber: He Who Passed the Red Sea Tahriib: In the Footsteps of Generations Tahriib in the Young Generation Zeynab Salaado References Internet Sources 3: ‘If I Die, I have Already Died’: Entanglements of Social Death With Age Comes Wisdom Investments in the Future Responsibilities of Adulthood Where Are You From?: Hierarchies of Clan Déclassement: Moving in the Wrong Direction Girls in the House Freedom: Opportunities, Independence and Adventure Transnational Marriage ‘Social death’ Revisited References Internet Sources 4: Walking the Road of Hope Hope and Migration Literature Social Hopes: Collective Dreams and Beliefs Local Distributions of Hope: From Education to Tahriib Practising Tahriib at Home ‘I want to become like Obama’ Bends and Dead Ends Along the Road Practising Hope Between Reality and Fantasy References Internet Sources 5: Uncertainty of Information in Unknown Terrain Kutiri Kuteen [Hearsay] Goodbye Hargeisa Untold Stories Unpredictable Risks Women, Tahriib and the Search for Information The Search for a Similar Face Trust, Secrecy and the Unequal Distribution of Information (Mis)Trusting in Unknown Terrain References 6: Tempo(S) of Time En Route Engaging Time in the Right Way The ‘time work’ of Leisure ‘We live together, we die together’: Wasting Precious Time Changing Tempos: Getting Stuck and Moving Fast Negotiating the Future References 7: Biometric Ambiguities (Un)Certainty of Biometric Technologies The Day of Judgement Securing Survival in the Land of No Life Securing a Future References Websites 8: Making Home Emplacement: New Opportunities and Existential Life-Making Returning Home When Home Is Where the Heart Is ‘In-between’: The Search for a Place to Make Home Qurbajoog: Ascriptions of Success The Ultimate Homecoming References Internet Sources 9: Conclusion: Universal Uncertainties References Websites Index