Ambivalent returns: Dhaqan celis and counter‐diasporic migration among second‐generation Somalis

Abstract

AbstractRapid globalisation and decades‐long civil wars have led to the rise of transnational families and mobility within the Somali diaspora. This article focuses on the phenomenon of dhaqan celis where first‐generation Somali parents living in Western nations take their children to their ethnic homeland for a period of cultural reorientation. Building on existing scholarship on dhaqan celis as well the literature on counter‐diasporic migrations and reverse transnationalism, we explore the forms of cultural and familial belonging that instigate dhaqan celis and how the perception of young returnees evolves over time. We argue that dhaqan celis, while representing an involuntary forced return, does not always develop into stories of exploitation and suffering but rather becomes a tool for inter‐generational connection and understanding.