Living Between Worlds: Arrival and Adjustment Experiences of the Somali Community in Portland, Oregon
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Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses Fall 12-20-2017 Living Between Worlds: Arrival and Adjustment Experiences of the Somali Community in Portland, Oregon Neil A. Panchmatia Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the African Studies Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, and the Sociology Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Panchmatia, Neil A., "Living Between Worlds: Arrival and Adjustment Experiences of the Somali Community in Portland, Oregon" (2017). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 4078. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.5962 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. Living Between Worlds: Arrival and Adjustment Experiences of the Somali Community in Portland, Oregon by Neil A. Panchmatia A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Sociology Thesis Committee: Alex Stepick, Chair Margaret Everett Joseph Smith-Buani Portland State University 2017 Abstract Since the early 1990s Oregon has witnessed an economic and politically based influx of immigrants and refugees. Most refugees resettled in Oregon initially settled in the greater Portland metro area, and Portland currently ranks eleventh among cities around the country that resettle international refugees. This research focuses on the reception and resettlement experiences of one sub-group of refugees and immigrants: those from Somalia. In the Portland area, Somalis are a largely marginalized social group. They live on the peripheries of society and are often segregated (physically as well as culturally) in what is historically a racially and culturally homogenous state. To date, limited research has focused on the reception experiences and adjustment challenges of the local Somali community. The intent of this descriptive case study is to explore and record the arrival and adjustment experiences and perspectives of Somali refugees and immigrants, so as to understand their journey of displacement and resettlement holistically. It investigates the context of their acclimatization into US society via the Portland urban area. It, more specifically, explores the nature of the arrival and adjustment experiences of the community, as well as the factors influencing them. It attempts to understand how these factors and the overall experience of adjustment influence the negotiation and construction of individual and collective identity of the local Somalis. In understanding the overall experience of resettlement within the community, the study also explores how well the needs of the community are met when it comes to support services and other resources for adaptation. ! i! Seventeen participants were interviewed from the community, and they indicated that the journey of adjustment is an on-going one that needs to be understood holistically while incorporating all the stages of exile: from displacement to resettlement. Identity formation and negotiation is a key process that emerged within the narratives, through which the experience of resettlement is maneuvered. Within the local community, identity informs the participation of Somalis within social networks, as well as the myriad social roles they take on as individuals, family members, and community members. This study finds some important similarities and differences in the experiences of the local Somalis with other local and national immigrant and refugee groups. ! ii! Dedication For my parents, Anant and Chandrika Panchmatia You gave me everything. You are my everything. Thank you. ! iii! Acknowledgements I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to the Somali community of Portland. My goal, in writing this thesis, has been to objectively and respectfully share your narratives. I considered it a personal responsibility to accurately understand and share your journeys of arrival and adjustment in the United States through this work. I have attempted to understand, closely, what you shared with me through the lens of a fellow African, fellow immigrant, and fellow person of color. Your spirit of perseverance as a community inspired me deeply while I was growing up in Kenya, and continues to do so. You let me into your community, and showed me such kind respect and faith with your confidence in my ability to do this work adequately. Through your stories, you have also inspired me to go into mental health counseling as a profession – to help meet a need within the immigrant and refugee community you identified and stressed. There is currently a dire need of people-of-color mental health professionals who can practice culturally responsive care for populations that have experienced trauma. I intend to create awareness for these population-specific needs, and work hard at service provision and advocacy. I will always use and cherish my experience on working on this thesis, and the lessons I learned from you, as the foundation for my future work. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I would also like to express my gratitude to my thesis committee. Dr. Alex Stepick, as my chair and advisor, you have motivated and supported me since my first day in the program. I came to PSU to learn from you: one of the most eminent immigration scholars, and today I look back at that decision with pride. You have shown unwavering confidence in my ability as a scholar, and my drive as a social justice ! iv! advocate to give back to the immigrant and refugee communities. You have spent countless hours advising me with this thesis, reviewing its contents, and guiding me as needed. Your support and encouragement will always be remembered and cherished with gratitude. You have been a true guru and like a parent to me. Thank you. Dr. Joseph Smith-Buani, so much of this thesis would be impossible without your guidance and support. Without you, I would not have been able to access participants for the study, and it is your vote of confidence in my ability to do this work that helped open the right doors. Your work in the local community, studying and advocating for the African diaspora, inspired my own work immensely. Thank you for everything you do, for African students like myself, and for the community. Dr. Margaret Everett, my respect and gratitude for you knows no bounds. You inspire me not only in our work together in the Office of International Affairs, but also in the humility and poise you project in working with different cultures and individuals. I am so grateful that you were a part of this committee, and I was able to share this journey with you. Thank you. Lastly, I would like to thank my loved ones, for supporting me and standing beside me throughout the process of completing this program. To my parents: you were my first gurus, and taught me that in compassion lies our true essence and potential as human beings. You encouraged me to understand the trials and tribulations of individuals and communities less privileged than I was. It is from these roots of social justice awareness and advocacy, which you not only preached but also practiced, that I find my drive to do what I do today. In many ways, this thesis is also a product of your lifelong inspiration and guidance. Thank you for always believing in me, for loving me ! v! unconditionally, and for teaching me everything I needed to know to be the person I am today. To say I love you would be an understatement. To my Anila Aunty: you have always been my role model and like a second mother. You would drag me along to volunteer in everything from blood donation drives to vision-loss clinics, to HIV testing camps in rural Kenya when I was just a little kid: nurturing a young social justice advocate within me. Your unwavering drive to give back to the community we lived in, the equity you always saw in all the people, and the strength and drive you projected inspired me more than you know. You taught me that barriers of gender, race, class, creed and so on were to be challenged and transcended. You were there for us all whenever we needed you. I love you so much. Thank you. To my brother, Jay and my sister-in-law, Kinjal: Thank you for all the support you have shown me throughout my journey of being in school. You both inspire me in so many ways, and I consider myself lucky to have you in my life. Your compassion, humility, and love for everyone around you motivates me everyday. I love you both very much. To Brandon: you have stood by me and supported me throughout this experience in so many ways: be it in appealing to my competitive side to get me to get writing, or in challenging my perfectionist side by telling me to pull back and not aim to write a perfect thesis. You always showed faith in my ability to get this done, and you have shown me so much love and understanding during this whole process. Thank you for this. You inspire me with your kindness and your drive, and you make me laugh with your zest for devious humor. You are my rock, and I love you with all my heart. ! vi! To my dearest friends: you have always understood and encouraged me. My beloved Joyce: you have always encouraged me, and I have cherished the countless hours we have spent dreaming about all we will do in the future. You are my fellow Eagle and I am always grateful for your love and friendship.