Transnational Nomads

The daily pictures of refugee camps, mostly in Africa, make one wonder as to how the refugees manage to survive under these abject conditions. This path-breaking study of Somalis, in a camp in Kenya, offers some explanations. The author argues that it is wrong to look at the camps in isolation, but that one has to consider historical, social and transnational dimensions if one wants to understand the coping mechanisms that enable people to survive. Her book shows how Somalis were able to adapt their “nomadic” heritage to life in the camp, including a high degree of mobility and strong social networks that also reach beyond the confines of the camp as far as the US and Europe.