Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
White, Heather
Keywords
Somali Diaspora, Dance, Personal Narratives
Area of Concentration
Humanities
Abstract
This thesis explores Somali Diasporic cultural identity through the combination of auto/ethnography, life history narratives, and dance performance; that is, the analysis of my own experience, the personal narratives of my family members as expressed to me through interviews, and the dance performance I created to express the content of the first two components. I use these modes of analysis to enrich the current picture of the North American Somali Diaspora by bringing attention to subjective lived experience. The North American Somali Diaspora refers to Somali peoples living on the North American continent. In my initial research on the subject I found that academic articles often focused on the plight and misfortune of the generalized, faceless, Somali refugee. There has been little research done in any field on the individual refugee. I chose to focus on the individual cultural identity of my family and myself by using subjective modes of analysis. With this thesis I hope to present a more varied and active account of the Somali refugee community.
Recommended Citation
Rogers, Megan Amal, "And Then She Said; an exploration of Somali Diasporic cultural identity through auto/ethnography, personal narratives, and dance performance" (2012). Theses & ETDs. 4671.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/4671