RESEARCH SEMINAR: Ayan Yasin
Speaker: Ayan Yasin Abdi, Roskilde University
Title: Caught Between Citizenship, Crime, and Coercion: Somali Deportees and the Challenge of Reintegration across Northern Europe
Description: Denmark has been debating the relocation of criminals to a remote island (Reuters 2018), the possibility of sending deportees to a prison in Kosovo (Milne 2022), and the contracting of a lease for that prison (Barton 2024). Simultaneously, Denmark, alongside Sweden and the Netherlands, is grappling with the forced return of their citizens under UK immigration laws, which allow for the expulsion of foreign nationals deemed not "conducive to the public good" (Gower and Sturge 2024) due to criminal convictions.
This seminar presents preliminary ideas and the conceptual framework for a forthcoming research project investigating the forced return and reintegration of Somali deportees across Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Drawing on initial observations and existing literature, this study explores how deportees navigate reintegration after forced return, focusing on the challenges they encounter—such as language gaps, difficulties in converting competencies, and weakened social networks—and the broader implications for migration and citizenship studies.
Diasporic Somali migrants, who initially moved to the UK by leveraging their Nordic citizenship for better labor opportunities, now face forced returns that disrupt their pursuit of security, education, and cultural preservation.
The key research questions are as follows: How do forced returnees experience reintegration into countries once left and what challenges do they face? How do these returns challenge traditional definitions of forced migration? What legal and social implications arise for Somali returnees in DK, SE, and NL? How do local communities respond to deportees returning after criminal conviction?
Drawing on a multiphase methodology, this study combines case studies, ethnographic interviews, and expert insights to illuminate the nuanced impacts of deportation on Somali communities. By situating forced returnees within broader debates on migration and citizenship, this study offers a critical rethinking of prevailing frameworks and contributes to the development of informed policy recommendations for addressing reintegration challenges.
Bio: Ayan Yasin Abdi is a Fulbright Fellow and a Ph.D. graduate from the Department of Communication and Arts at Roskilde University. She has conducted extensive ethnographic research in the fields of diasporic culture, minority studies, mobility, post-migration movements, racialization, and postcolonialism. Abdi teaches and publishes on these topics, contributing to scholarly discourse and advancing understanding in these areas.
Her publications include Moral Geographies and Their Application Among Diasporic Somalis (Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2023) and a co-authored article with Galal titled "Diasporic Somali Migration to Turkey: Exploring the Intersection of Mobility, Place, and Geopolitics" (Migration Studies, 2024).