The European Conference on African Studies is a major international African Studies conference that takes place every two years, and attracts many participants from across the African continent as well as from Europe and more widely. The next conference is due to take place in Prague, Czech Republic, from 25-28th June 2025.
Some of the TRUCIT team are convening a panel and invite paper submissions on relevant topics. The theme of the panel is:
'African entanglements and transcontinental belonging: contested urban citizenship in Europe and the Horn of Africa'
This panel explores the dynamics of transnational belonging among Horn of Africa diaspora in European cities. We explore how the precarious urban citizenship that is claimed or denied to African migrants in Europe is shaped by their transcontinental investments & political engagements, & vice versa.
Deadline for paper proposals 15th December via ECAS website - select our panel at the submission point.
https://www.ecasconference.org/2025/call-for-papers/
Organisers - Tom Goodfellow, Abdifatah Tahir and Cathy Wilcock
FULL PANEL ABSTRACT
This panel will explore the precarious urban citizenship experienced by communities from the Horn of Africa in European cities who maintain transnational connections with their places of origin. Studies of urban citizenship examine how cities can challenge, subvert, or reinforce state-based exclusion regimes, with a focus on the challenges African migrants face as racial and religious 'others' within post-colonial power dynamics and global hierarchies. At the same time, studies of diasporic belonging explore the constrained yet significant agency African communities in Europe have on shaping the development trajectories of their home countries. Again, these transcontinental connections are at least partially determined by postcolonial social polarizations and the socio-cultural and politico-economic dominance of Europe over Africa. For the Horn of Africa particularly, the longstanding but arguably intensifying ‘regional insecurity complex’, renders these dynamics of migration, remittances and transnational engagement all the more significant. This panel will bridge the gap between these related but parallel debates. It will bring transnational connections to bear on urban belonging and vice versa. We will ask in what ways is the ‘urban citizenship’ – which is claimed, seized or denied to African migrants in Europe – shaped by their transcontinental investments and political engagements?; how do these dynamics differ between genders and generations?; what are the reciprocal relationships between urban (un)belonging in Europe and the development trajectories of the African cities of origin?; and what do these connections imply for breaking down local/international policy silos?
Through the summer months, the TRUCIT team conducted introductory workshops in Bristol, Camden, and Sheffield to gather input from local communities regarding their priorities. These workshops served as a platform for residents to voice their concerns and highlight the issues they consider most critical in their cities. The insights collected from these sessions will shape TRUCIT's research themes, ensuring alignment with the needs and priorities of the communities involved. We are currently incorporating these insights and participant priorities into our interview and focus group planning. We thank all participants for generously sharing their ideas with us.
The following issues have emerged as critical concerns.
Urban public services and city life
Somali communities in all three cities noted challenges with inadequate public services including housing, health care and public transport. Social housing is overcrowded and poorly maintained. Healthcare involves long waiting times and communication challenges. The increasing digitisation of service provision was challenging for older populations. More appropriate properties and better service provision is available outside the city centres, but poor transport links make it undesirable to move. Somalis in Bristol were the worst affected in this regard, and those in Sheffield and Camden reported a better experience of public transport and ease of accessing public services. Overall, state services were often so poor or inaccessible that Somali residents turned to community organizations for support with meeting basic needs.
Despite challenges with urban public services, most participants reported many positives about life in their respective cities. Sheffield was recognized as a favourable environment for older people, offering a quieter, less hectic atmosphere compared to larger cities. Participants praised Sheffield’s good air quality, access to clean water, and the ease of reaching the city centre. Camden Somalis were happy with the strong sense of community among Somalis in their borough. They also felt that the broader population was friendly, and they were comfortable in a highly multicultural environment where it was not unusual to be Muslim. In Bristol, Somalis felt warmly towards the city and its diverse population. There were reports of racism and discrimination in all three cities, but this was not the full story of city life for those who we interviewed. Most participants did feel welcome in their cities, in general. Many of the Somalis at the workshops had migrated via Europe: particularly Scandinavia and the Netherlands. Overall, this group noted feeling more welcome in the UK.
Gender and intergenerational dynamics
Women are doubly burdened with pressures to raise families in increasingly challenging circumstances, as well as securing paid employment. Fitting work around childcare, including school drop off and pick up was in many cases impossible; others were forced into cleaning or care work and confined to low rates of pay. Women wishing to further their prospects were unable to access language courses and night school due to family commitments. Many Somalis, not only women, faced cultural barriers to employment including a lack of understanding of how to present a CV for the UK jobs market; many highly skilled Somalis were under-employed as a result. Many young men, even graduates, were out of work and this placed an additional stress on families.
Education was a key concern for parents in all three cities. Somalis in all three cities felt that support for their children (especially children with special educational needs) was lacking. Many wished that schools were less focused on behaviour and more on learning. Parents of boys approaching A Level age were especially anxious; this is a time when boys are vulnerable to being groomed into gang membership. Knife crime, and relatively new drug trade problems related to the opening of the Eurostar, were key concerns in Camden. Schools and parents could be more collaborative on this issue, but in all three cities, participants noted the lack of proper communication channels between the two. In Camden, however, a success story was shared about a ‘pre-exclusion’ initiative at Haverstock School, where at-risk students spend eight weeks in a dedicated area to prevent exclusion, which has had a beneficial impact on many students. Overall, the lack of youth clubs and support for young people was also noted. There were also frustrations with schools’ failure to diagnose and address issues related to disability and mental health.
The workshops also touched on a notable cultural shift within the Somali community, particularly among the younger generation. Clan affiliations, which were once a significant source of local conflict in the 1990s, have become "basically irrelevant to youngsters now", according to the majority of those consulted. Parents also often struggle with the cultural gap between themselves and their children. Second-generation Somalis have absorbed British individualism, to their parents' disappointment, particularly regarding community responsibility and traditional values. Parents emphasise the importance of returning to Somalia or Somaliland to instil values like respect for elders, community responsibility, and resilience—values they feel are being eroded by British culture.
There is a fear that future generations will lose touch with Somali culture, particularly the language. Some elders worry about the disappearance of Somali language and values within the diaspora. Yet, young people’s visits to Somaliland and Somalia have sparked a renewed sense of obligation to their heritage, hinting at a potential reconnection with their cultural roots in the future.
Transnational connections with The Somali Peninsula
The discussions underscored the deep connection that the Somali diaspora maintains with The Somali Peninsula. A significant theme is the sense of duty toward families and communities back in Somalia or the Somali Peninsula, especially among the first-generation diaspora. There is pride in meeting expectations, though this has become harder with rising living costs. However, while London and Sheffield-based Somalis might maintain strong links with home, those in Bristol are more preoccupied with local struggles, which limits their capacity to help. Participants are glad that their remittances are benefiting their communities back home, yet note that the cost of living crisis means it is increasingly difficult to support development in the Somali peninsula as well as meeting the needs of their immediate family in the UK.
Many parents cherished their connection with the ‘homeland’ because they saw it as vital to raising their children with positive values. They saw that rampant individualism and a culture of ‘selfishness’ in the UK could be counteracted with connections back home, where values of community, respect and resilience were commonplace. Many people were aware that their movement and settlement in the UK had permanently changed their intergenerational familial closeness; for example, their parents in Somalia did not have fulfilling relationships with their own children (born and/or raised in the UK). This was a source of deep anxiety for many participants.
Many participants reported they could breathe clean air (hawa) when they were back home (or connected to it via phone calls); conveying a sense of feeling unencumbered with the stresses of life in the UK. However, thinking of the traumas of home was also an important feature of their connections. War, crime and insecurity were not only troubling memories but a source of constant worry for the welfare of family members and community members back home. At the same time, participants stressed there were a lot of misconceptions about the Somali peninsula; it is a beautiful place where one can have a peaceful and fulfilling life.
Overall, many participants feel a sense of not fully being in the UK, especially in Bristol and Sheffield. For instance, some feel they are merely "guests" in the UK, while others express a strong connection to Somalia or the Somali Peninsula (TSP). Despite living in Bristol, Camden, or Sheffield, there is often a sense that their true belonging is linked to their cultural heritage, regardless of physical location. For some, Somalia represents a distant future where they can return and retire, but there is a contradiction in this desire, given practical challenges like security or the British upbringing of their children.
The paradox of wanting to go back but knowing it's not feasible is a recurring sentiment. Security concerns and children's integration into British society create practical barriers. Though some idealize return, they acknowledge that their children, who have grown up in the UK, might not fit in well in Somalia or Somaliland. Security in Somalia and Somaliland remains a major concern for many. Stories of trauma, explosions, and violence in TSP reinforce the decision not to return. However, there's also a narrative of surprise and beauty from second-generation Somalis visiting for the first time, challenging misconceptions that Somalia is purely a place of danger.