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Citizenship among young adult Somalis in Norway

Katrine Fangen is a senior researcher at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography, the University of Oslo, Norway. [email: katrine.fangen{at}sosiologi.uio.no]

This article analyses young Somalis’ citizenship in the sense of their civic activities on different geographic levels, and the interrelationship between civic activity, class, ethnicity and age. What are the participatory roles of the young Somalis, and how do they relate to entities such as politics, nation and ethnicity? How does class influence different levels of orientation? Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with five Somalis who had returned to Somaliland after living in Norway for many years, and 45 Somalis in Norway, but this article is a case study of three of the latter. Somali organizations give young adult Somalis from all backgrounds an opportunity to become involved and feel that they are doing something for other Somalis. For some, participation in these organizations is a stepping-stone to further political involvement in Norway, in Somalia or internationally. We especially see this among Somalis with a higher education, whereas those with less education are mostly involved in activities on the community level. Being active within Somali organizations in Norway combines the aspect of being well integrated in the host society with maintaining a commitment to one's own background and culture. The young Somalis associate doing something for others to becoming an adult; however, they also regard this sense of responsibility as an integral part of being Somali.

Key Words: citizenship • class • ethnicity • immigrants • Norway • Somalis • young adults

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