Researcher and ethnographer with a focus on migration, mobility and citizenship.
Ayan Yasin is a researcher and ethnographer focusing on migration, mobility, and citizenship. She investigates how people with diaspora connections navigate complex social and legal systems, and how belonging is formed across borders. Her approach is curious, attentive, and marked by an eye for voices that are often overlooked. She communicates her research through media such as Zetland, P1, Orientering, and TV2, and has given presentations to public institutions, civil society, and professional audiences. For Ayan, communication is not an afterthought but a central part of research—a way to bring knowledge into play so that it can be used in practice.
Movement I: Writing from the Folds There is something about time. Not linear, but folded, curling around me, refusing to...
Yasin Abdi, A. (2026). The Gaze and the Gesture: Hypervisible Insiderness and the Politics of Recognition in Somali Ethnography. Journal...
Abdi, A.Y. and Kleist, N. (2025), Moving Horizons: Hypermobile Somali Youth in Türkiye. Global Networks, 25: e70007. https://doi.org/10.1111/glob.70007 Kleist and I...
Ayan Yasin Abdi, Lise Paulsen Galal, Diasporic Somali migration to Turkey: Exploring the intersection of mobility, place, and geopolitics, Migration...
Yasin Abdi, A. (2023). Moral geographies and their application among diasporic Somalis’. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 51(3), 837–853. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2023.2278397...
Weekendavisen-udgivelsen, September 21, 2024: https://www.weekendavisen.dk/opinion/sover-danmark-i-timen?user=2a4b388dd3c64361b88005f99fd4c343 Mens Danmark og EU netop nu begynder at skue mod Afrika, er Tyrkiet allerede langt...
Zetland-udgivelsen, September 3, 2022: https://www.zetland.dk/historie/serDR5Lp-mOLEv3Xn-bb395 Det her er en historie om, at nogle kampe først begynder, når man tager boksehandskerne af...
Zetland-udgivelsen, July 9, 2019: https://www.zetland.dk/historie/se6E6zYk-mOLEv3Xn-a8a1a NYE TIDER I dag bor Ayan Yasin i København. Foto: Kasper Løftgaard for Zetland Derfor...
Politikken-udgivelsen, May 25, 2019: https://politiken.dk/debat/debatindlaeg/art7209008/Hvad-ville-der-egentlig-ske-hvis-alle-somaliere-blev-tvangshjemsendt Lad os lave et tankeeksperiment: I 2022 vedtager FN en resolution om, at alle indvandrere...
Zetland-udgivelsen, August 7, 2018: https://www.zetland.dk/historie/se6E3kl0-mOLEv3Xn-c243e HØRT HOS LÆGEN På Indvandrermedicinsk Klinik på Odense Universitetshospital tager man sig af de – til...
Ayan Yasin moderated one of the most engaging debates I’ve ever experienced. Her rare combination of deep knowledge, thematic clarity, and audience engagement made the event unforgettable. She navigated complex topics—anger, marginalization, subcultures—with professionalism and insight. I warmly recommend her as a moderator who brings both intellectual depth and vibrant presence.
I met Ayan during her defence of her PhD research at Roskilde University. I was very impressed with Ayan’s critical thinking abilities and her reflections. I also found her positioning brave and I admire her for taking that position. Ayan is not afraid to ask questions and discuss issues she is curious about. Her creative writing skills and presentation techniques are also admirable.
I am extremely delighted to recommend Dr. Ayan Yasin Abdi. I have followed Ayan’s work as an international colleague having similar interest. She has emerged as a young scholar on the global academic stage, recognized for her research characterized by innovation and originality. Ayan’s scholarly pursuit have transcended national boundaries, reflection her commitment and ability to foster international networks, collaboration and dialogue.
Ayan has proven to be a dynamic network builder, securing both national and international research connections. Beyond her academic responsibilities, she actively communicates her research to diverse audiences outside the university. With her well-documented abilities and achievements — and her dedication, resilience, and collaborative spirit — I have no doubt she will build a strong career beyond academia.
I met Ayan a few years ago in an international conference where I had the opportunity to listen to her presentation, based on her doctorate work. Her presentation demonstrated clarity of thought, rigor of argument, and excellent knowledge of migration studies, and ethnographic methodologies. Ayan is an articulate, hard-working, intellectually curious, and innovative researcher.
