Marginal actors? diaspora somalis negotiate their citizenship

Abstract

This chapter illustrates the discrepancies between citizenship as a universal discourse of equal rights and the realities of socio-economic marginalisation for certain groups of citizens. This point is illustrated by exploring the transnational citizenship practices of diaspora Somalis in Kenya, Egypt, Europe and the United States. Horst and Al-Sharmani argues that these discrepancies are caused by the fact that ‘belonging’ is a crucial element of in understandings of who is a citizen or not. The chapter explores how diaspora Somalis look for alternative discourses and experiences of citizenship. Obtaining the right type of citizenship is an important aspect of their strategies, but diaspora Somalis then realize that does not provide them with the rights they had hoped for. Instead, they develop a transnational sense of citizenship, which in many ways questions how citizenship is experienced and used by marginalized citizens and non-citizen residents.