Abstract
Somali youth, "the generation in-between", who arrived in Finland in their early teens or as teenagers in the 1990shave faced specific challenges in Somali diaspora in Finland. Their voice is often ambiguous in the processes of cultural construction and ethnic reconstruction. Dissonant acculturation and role reversal within the families and a family culture that emphasizes strong parental authority place these young people in a liminal position. Measures which balance the pace of the acculturation between the generations could alleviate the situation In addition, the diasporic consciousness and transnational activities among Somalis along with the ethos of 'integration' within the mainstream institutions challenge Somali youth. They may find themselves 'betwixt and between' various future orientations. This should be acknowledged in educational planning, for example. While liminal states may open up new opportunities, it is claimed that several simultaneous states of liminality may be confusing for a young person, and may create risks for becoming marginal from societal and cultural classifications, as well as limit a person from finding his/her own group of reference.
Highlights
This article is about Somali youth who arrived in Finland as asylum seekers in the 1990s
It is claimed in this article that Somali youth are in a liminal position due to their status in the process of cultural construction/ethnic reconstruction: the way in which they construct new hybrid forms of cultures is often experienced as threatening by the adult population, while simultaneously the young are needed as guides and sources of information för their parents and caretakers in an unfamiliar and complex society
This article presented some aspects that the author sees as creating dilemmas in the lives of many Somali youth in the Helsinki metropolitan area
Summary
This article is about Somali youth who arrived in Finland as asylum seekers in the 1990s. A person is simultaneously open to new statuses, norms and definitions, and at the same time, (s)he is socially and psychologically vulnerable if not able to define his/her role, status or group of reference. Adolescence as such is a state ofliminality, a periodin between childhood and adulthood. Another such state is the status of being a refugee in a new society (Malkki 1995) In addition to these aspects, but related to them, Somali youth face other liminalities, two of which are described in this article. Without underestimating the severity of their consequences, the other possible aspects ofliminality which are related to contact with Finnish society (för example, experienced discrimination) are not the focus of this article
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