The gendered migrant experience: a study of family language policy (FLP) amongst mothers and daughters in the Somali community, Bristol

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article adopts a gendered take on Family Language Policy (FLP) by questioning the way that gender impacts on the issues faced by refugee woman during and after flight. For this reason, the ethnographically informed research addresses the concerns and experiences of mothers and daughters in the Somali community in Bristol, one of the fastest growing communities in the city but one that remains a ‘neglected social group … everywhere present but in many ways invisible’ (Wallace & Kahin [2017]. Somali parents and schooling in Britain (p. 1). UCL Institute of Education Press.), with little known about their experiences on or after arrival (Warfa et al. [2006]. Post-migration geographical mobility, mental health and health service utilisation among Somali refugees in the UK: A qualitative study. Health & Place, 12(4), 503–515.). The study of FLP not only contributes to our understanding of the processes of language shift and change, it also sheds light on broader language policy issues at societal levels. Analysis suggests that it is principally mothers who take on the demanding, yet invisible work of FLP in the home and that mis-matched fluency between mothers and daughters results in a fracturing of family relations with the potential for long-term emotional repercussions. The findings have implications for educational and public sector organisations involving immigrant communities.