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“The Sufferings and Persecution of my People Back Home is the one that Really Burns and Boils in me Every Single Day”: Exploring Expressions of Cultural Well-being in the Oromo Diaspora by Biftu Yousuf B.A. (Hons.), Simon Fraser University, 2014 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degrees of Master of Arts / Master of Science in the School of Criminology Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Master of Science Program Faculty of Health Sciences © Biftu Yousuf 2018 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2018 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re-use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Approval Name: Biftu Yousuf Degrees: Master of Arts (Criminology) Master of Science (Health Sciences) Title: “The Sufferings and Persecution of my People Back Home is the one that Really Burns and Boils in me Every Single Day”: Exploring Expressions of Cultural Well-being in the Oromo Diaspora Examining Committee: Chair: Bryan Kinney Associate Professor Ted Palys Senior Supervisor Professor Nicole Berry Senior Supervisor Associate Professor Marina Morrow Supervisor Professor Sheri Fabian Supervisor Senior Lecturer Parin Dosa Internal Examiner Professor Sociology and Anthropology Juan Marcellos Tauri External Examiner Lecturer Criminology University of Wollongong Date Defended/Approved: June 27, 2018 ii Ethics Statement iii Abstract Oromos are an Indigenous people living in the horn of Africa and in diaspora. Their long history of struggle against (internal) colonization creates a challenging context in which to strive for well-being. For the last 30-40 years, Canada has been a common destination and safe haven for many persecuted Oromos. The current project sought to explore Oromo conceptions of well-being through a qualitative study involving participant-observations and 14 interviews in three Canadian cities. The findings reveal that Oromo people’s origins in Oromia remain an important and continuing determinant of their health and well-being, despite migration to Canada. The findings suggest that our current understandings of determinants of immigrant health in Canada are too narrowly focused on post-migration conditions. These findings contribute to a growing body of literature that prioritize understandings of collective over individual well-being, as well as the important exploration of social determinants of immigrant health. Key Words: Collective Identity; Determinants of Well-being; Histories of Colonization and Injustice; Oromo Migrants; Transnational Connections; Well-being iv Dedication To all Oromo children, women, and men who have perished in the struggle for peace and independence. To all Oromo people who survived the struggle for freedom and justice. To my son, Adi, ‘the just one.’ In solidarity, v Acknowledgements I acknowledge all the people who embarked on this journey in solidarity with me. To my kindred spirit, my mother, Alfiya Ishak: because your unwavering love, strength, and wisdom made it all possible. I am grateful to my family (close and afar) for standing firmly by my side and always offering words of affirmation. My deepest gratitude and appreciation goes out to my thesis supervisors, Dr. Ted Palys of the School of Criminology and Dr. Nicole Berry of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Both of you laboured in solidarity with me from the conception of this dual degree project until it came to fruition. Thank you so much for your warm humanity and believing in me throughout this endeavour. I would like to thank my thesis committee members, Dr. Sheri Fabian and Dr. Marina Morrow, for their support and guidance. Your discussions, ideas, and feedback were invaluable. I would also like to thank my examiners, Dr. Parin Dossa and Dr. Juan Marcellos Tauri, for asking thought-provoking questions that bolstered the presentation of my thesis. I would like to acknowledge all the people who took the time to listen to me share my research, bounce ideas, and point me in the direction of valuable resources. A special thank you to Armstrong Murira (my kindred soul), Laura Ceke and Teha Lagah (my soul sisters), and Nadine Chambers (my confidant). I would like to salute my son Adil Wright for his tenacious spirit and invaluable critical feedback. A special consideration to the members of my cohorts – we were in this together. I am most grateful for the support that I have received from the School of Criminology and the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. In addition, I would like to thank Heather De Forest, Catherine Louie, and Nicole White from the Research Commons at Simon Fraser University. Finally, I would like to acknowledge that this research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). In granting me the generous Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship, Master's (CGS M), SSHRC made my thesis research possible. vi Table of Contents Approval .......................................................................................................................... ii Ethics Statement ............................................................................................................ iii Abstract .......................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ....................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ vi Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ................................................................................................................... x List of Figures .................................................................................................................. x List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................. xi Chapter 1. Introduction and Literature Review ................................................... 1 Historicizing Racial and Ethnic Relations: Ethiopians and Oromos .................................. 4 A Narrative: How the Literature Situates the Ethiopian-Oromo Conflict ........................... 7 ‘Crimes Against Humanity’: A Case Study of Consecutive Ethiopian Regimes v. The Oromo ........................................................................................................................... 13 Crimes against Humanity and Migration: Broad Implications for Well-being ............... 14 My Study ................................................................................................................ 15 Chapter 2. Research Methodology and Methods .............................................. 17 Methods of Research Used ........................................................................................... 17 Ethical and Legal Considerations .................................................................................. 19 The Data Collection Process ......................................................................................... 21 Recruitment Strategies, Research Context, and Sampling Procedures ...................... 21 The Interviews ........................................................................................................... 24 Sample Attributes ................................................................................................... 26 The Participant-Observations and Observations ........................................................ 28 Engagement with the Setting: Community Events .................................................. 29 Approaches to Transcribing, Coding, and Data Analysis ............................................... 31 Chapter 3. Conceptualizing Cultural Well-being ............................................... 34 Cultural Meanings of Well-being: Toward a Cross-Cultural Perspective ........................ 41 Ideologies of Collectivism and Individualism .............................................................. 46 Interconnectedness and Oromo Togetherness ....................................................... 50 People are the Source of Well-being ...................................................................... 52 Oneness: Natural and Spiritual Worlds ................................................................... 54 Upholding Cultural Identity ......................................................................................... 57 Oromo First! Oromo Forever .................................................................................. 58 Preserving Identity for Posterity .............................................................................. 59 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 65 Chapter 4. The ‘Bad Life’ – Determinants of Well-being ................................... 67 Social Determinants of Health (SDOH): A Brief Overview ............................................. 69 vii SDOH and the Migration Process: A Structural Framework ....................................... 70 Contributions of Injustices to (Migrant) Health: SDOH and A Human-Rights Based Perspective ...............................................................................................................
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