Resources About Somalia
A Complex Crisis: Conflict and Climate Affecting Somalis
This short, simple video by EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid Operations gives a good overview of life in Somalia.
"Introduction: The Myth of 'Somalia'"
Brian J. Hesse's brief history of Somalia is relatively easy to read for its incredible detail. It gives a particularly good summary of the country's colonial history and its clan system.
Origins of the Somali Civil War
This video by CaspianReport gives a detailed, but understandable, overview of the Somali Civil War.
"Endless War: A Brief History of the Somali Conflict"
Mark Bradbury and Sally Healy give a good overview of the conflict in Somalia over the last few decades.
This article, written by Issam M. Saliba and shared through the Library of Congress, provides a quick definition of Sharia law, which "compared the law to a tree with few roots and many branches."
Resources About Refugees
"Refugees and Exile: From 'Refugee Studies' to the National Order of Things"
One of the first writers who sparked my interest in anthropology about refugees, Liisa Malkki's review of anthropological literature about refugees includes crucial critiques of the research.
"Speechless Emissaries: Refugees, Humanitarianism, and Dehistoricization"
Another article by Liisa Malkki, this piece discusses the dehumanizing stereotypes media and research often perpetuate about refugees, and she asks that we look beyond the "miserable 'sea of humanity'" and into the lives and humans amongst the group.
"More Labels, Fewer Refugees: Remaking the Refugee Label in an Era of Globalization"
Mark Zetter's complex piece addressing the social and political shifts in perception of "the refugee" speak to the increasingly nuanced (and often xenophobic) discussion about stateless individuals.
"Crafting Citizens: Resettlement Agencies and Refugee Incorporation in the U.S."
Shay Cannedy's article about the refugee resettlement process takes an in-depth look at a particular office in Texas, and some of her observations appear in Asma's story, as well.
"From Somalia to U.S.: Shifts in Gender Dynamics from the Perspective of Female Somali Refugees"
Jennifer Connor and a group of incredible specialists in psychology, family dynamics, immigrant and women's experiences, and community medicine all came together to conduct this wide-reaching research with Somali women about changing gender dynamics after moving to the United States.
"Culture, Structure, and the Refugee Experience in Somali Immigrant Family Transformation"
Elizabeth Heger Boyle and Ahmed Ali interviewed Somali refugee families in Minnesota and shared some valuable conclusions about the family and gender dynamics that are important to those communities.
"Performing Somali Identity in the Diaspora"
Kristin Langellier's article, which focuses on a young Somali refugee woman who lives in Lewiston, Maine (there is a large concentration of Somali migrants and refugees there) and how she performs her various identities.
"'Everywhere is Allah's Place': Islam and the Everyday Life of Somali Women in Melbourne, Australia"
Celia McMichael interviews a group of Somali women living in Melbourne about the role religion plays in their lives, discovering that faith is integral to these women's sense of identity, home, and strength.
"'A Person of Two Countries.' Life and Health in Exile: Somali Refugees in Sweden"
Kristian Svenberg, Bengt Mattsson, and Carola Skott write this piece of medical anthropology, discussing what it means to be a refugee and how that affects ideas about health and well-being.
"Immigrant and Refugee Women: Recreating Meaning in Transnational Context"
Denise Spitzer's research with women who migrated to Canada from Chile, China, and Somalia reveals a remarkable amount of resilience.
"The Survivor's Odyssey: K'naan's The Dusty Foot Philosopher as a Modern Epic"
Ana Sobral's innovative piece from African American Review takes a look at K'naan, a world-famous Somali rapper (he performed the "Wavin' Flag" song for the World Cup a few years ago). His first album speaks to his experiences as a refugee from Somalia.
Resources About Motherhood
How to Teach Kids | From a Prague Kindergarten, Part 3 | English for Children
Creator WATTSENGLISH shares this video, in which he teaches basic English words to a group of preschoolers with remarkable energy.
2 Year Old Has Constant Temper Tantrums | Supernanny
At first, Asma just watched these videos to laugh. Then, they became a tool for her as her own children started to grow older and enter their "terrible twos."
Mom Lets Infant Son Cry for 33 Minutes to Make Him Sleep | Supernanny
This was another Supernanny video that Asma sent me, in which she addresses another difficult parenting lesson.
10 Games Your Baby Will Love: 7 to 9 Months Old
BabyCenter is another resource Asma uses to find games and other parenting tools.
Resources About Ethnography
A truly seminal article in postcolonial and postmodern literary and social science theory, Gayatri Spivak's discussion of the subaltern and their (in)ability to communicate their experiences of oppression is a foundational element of this project.
Luke Eric Lassiter's seminal article asks ethnographers to include their populations of interest in the research process itself in a collaborative ethnographic practice called reciprocal ethnography.
Elizabeth Murphy and Robert Dingwall's essay on the ethics inherent in ethnographic practice is unavailable online, but the link attached to the title will bring you to a Google Books preview that will give you a sense of what they are discussing.
"'Refugee Voices': Tragedy, Ghosts, and the Anthropology of Not Knowing"
Heath Cabot's beautifully written article discusses his anxiety about representations of refugees and the "ghosts" of silenced narratives well-meaning ethnographers and activists accidentally create during their work.
Christina Zarowsky writes this powerful article about Somali refugees who are returning to their homes after fleeing to Ethiopia, combining interviews with reflections on suffering, ethnography, and "the refugee experience."
Tess Altman's short piece about a conference discusses the potential power of engaging refugee and migrant communities in the narrative/ethnographic process.
Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman
This remarkable (though flawed...and aware of its flaws) ethnography, in which Marjorie Shostak relates her conversations with Nisa, engages with ideas of womanhood, motherhood, and ethnographic relationships.
Telling a Good One: The Process of a Native American Collaborative Ethnography
Another flawed (and yet aware of it) ethnography, this work discusses the dangerous balance an ethnographer strikes between story and analysis, collaboration and silencing.