Hi everyone,
I am an Italian PhD Fellow at the University of Roskilde, Denmark. I have just started a research focused on the Somalis living in Scandinavia (mainly Denmark, Sweden and Norway). In particular, I am looking at the question of welfare provision. Through preliminary readings and conversations, I have identified in the relation between Somalis and the Scandinavian state's welfare systems a problematic issue, which together with bureaucracy is forcing many to leave to other destinations, such as the UK. It seems that these social measures are very invasive in respect to the Somali social organization. I am very interested in this point, since I am postulating the need to go beyond analysis centered on the nation-state, while I suggest the equal, legitimate inclusion of other forms of political organization into world history. And I found in the Somali instance a significant case to challenge the traditional authority that social sciences granted to the state. I would really like to meet some people to discuss some of these matters. The main scope of the research is to understand if ideas of welfare provision among the Somalis in Scandinavia are influenced by the state's welfare system, and which are then the implications in their relation with the homeland Somalia.
I was wondering if anyone living in one of these countries could be interested in contributing through informal conversations (anonymity is always ensured) both here and in focus groups or personal meetings. That would be of much help for my research.
If interested in knowing more about this, please contact me here or at marzo@ruc.dk
I'll be happy to meet you and talk more about the research idea. I am available for any further detail.
Thank you for the attention.
Best Regards,
Marco Zoppi