Ayan Yasin Abdi, Lise Paulsen Galal, Diasporic Somali migration to Turkey: Exploring the intersection of mobility, place, and geopolitics, Migration Studies, Volume 12, Issue 3, September 2024, mnae027 https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnae027.
Galal and I examine Turkey’s dual role as both a resettlement site and a temporary migratory destination for diasporic Somali communities. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Ankara and Istanbul, we explore how historical narratives and contemporary geopolitical factors shape migrants’ sense of Turkey as place—morally, strategically, and through experiences of exclusion. Our analysis reveals how diasporic Somalis navigate ambiguous and often contradictory conditions, challenging dominant assumptions about Western destinations as ideal endpoints. By foregrounding mobility, place, and Somali epistemologies, the article contributes to a more nuanced understanding of diasporic identity and expands the scope of migration studies beyond Eurocentric frameworks