A Theoretical Analysis of the Narrative of Migration - Essay Example

A theoretical Analysis of the Narrative of Migration Introduction This Theoretical analysis is concerning Mohamed who was a Somali seaman and migrated to the United Kingdom in the year 1957 from his homeland. Migration refers to the movement of persons from one region to another (Gilroy 1992, p. 17). Diaspora is a historical dispersion of a cluster of individuals with related origins. This paper will critically examine the reasons behind his movement to UK, issues of Diaspora and conditions of living between different cultures. Moreover, the idea of homeland and host land and how Mohamed adapted to the Western culture will be analysed. In addition, the paper will also focus on the influence of political developments in the homeland and host land. Furthermore, the concept of identity in the Diaspora theory will be discussed. Theoretical analysis Mohamed lost both parents at a tender age when he was only 12 years. His family members were nomads in Somali land. When his parents died, he remained under the care of his siblings who were taking care of goats, sheep’s and camels. As a young boy Mohamed felt lonely most of the time and he always refused the life of being a nomad. This affected the relationship they had with his sisters and brothers negatively since they looked at him as a rebellion. This forced Mohamed to travel to town where he could go to school and shape his own life. He believed education was the key towards success. While in the city, he identified his uncle who was working as a seaman and stayed with him before moving to Aden in Yemen. While at Aden, Mohamed secured a job as a mechanic and with the assistance of his fellow Somali nomads, he managed to cope up with the environment faster than he expected (Braziel 2008, p. 71). People migrated to other countries with an aim of making their living standards better (Brah 1996, p. 32). Just like Mohamed who ran away from home to look for a better life, migration has been the order of the day especially people moving from developing countries to those that are well developed. When these people move to other countries, they end up forming Diaspora communities. They are forced to learn the new cultures and cope up with people with different behaviours as compared to theirs thus forming Diaspora identity (Hall 1996, p. 85). In Mohamed’s narrative of migration, it is clear that Mohamed was continuously looking for a way to get a well paying job in UK. He worked in Aden for two years but became unhappy with his long working hours with very low pay. As a strong-minded young man, Mohamed decided to move to Hargeisa which was the capital city of Somali. While there, he managed to get a passport that enabled him to move to United Kingdom to work as a seaman. This clearly indicates that people were moving to foreign countries to better their lives (Fell & Hayes 2007, p. 29). When he arrived in the UK, Mohamed found the western culture totally different from his own country. There was free mixing of both men and women unlike his country where nearly everyone is a Muslim and thus their culture do not permit the mixing of men and women in the society. He also realised that the infrastructural facilities such as roads, railway lines, bridges and even buildings were of high standards when compared to his own country. Despite all these, Mohamed felt isolated and it even became difficult to learn the western culture which was different from that of Somaliland (Bauder 2006, p. 77). There are various problems faced by immigrants as they moved to other countries, for example, language barrier, cultural barriers, racism, under employment based on low levels of education, and even homesickness (Brubaker 2005, p. 49). Mohamed went through so many challenges when he arrived in London. He had thought that in the UK, people lived happily and enjoyed life without struggle. Surprisingly the case was different since he rented a house and looked for a job within a span of 6 months with no achievement. The main hindrance was his little English that he spoke making it difficult to communicate with those in the UK. After realising that his efforts in London were not fruitful, Mohamed moved to Middlesbrough where Somali seamen lived. Coincidentally, a Somali man whom he knew met him. Since this man had lived in UK for quite some time, he had familiarised himself with the land. He took the initiative to find an occupation for Mohamed who landed as a sailor in the navy merchants. Mohamed was joyous after finding people who had collective cultural values at the working place. Here, he was in a space of people who could transmit similar values. This clearly indicates that home is the best place one could easily feel comfortable and interact freely. Values can only be transmitted between people with comparable cultures. Sharing a space with people who differ in terms of religion, beliefs and views creates a rough zone for sustaining life. Mohamed ended up overlooking and segregating himself from the English people fearing that he would lose his religion, identity and culture (Cohen 2008, p. 103). Diaspora identity is that which learns and copes up with a new culture that it comes into contact with. In Mohamed’s Narrative of Migration, it was stated that, Mohamed moved to UK to make his life better by securing a decent job than just being a nomad. According to (Robbins 1999, p. 12), ethnic minorities are encouraged to emigrate from their own countries with an aim of improving their standards of living. Mohamed joined other Somali people to form a Diaspora community that comprised of people who were proving labour in the UK from the entire Africa and India. It is explicitly clear that the Diaspora communities play very crucial roles to the immigrants (Rainer & Thomas 1999, p.71). The Somali men that Mohamed ended up interacting with when he reached Middlesbrough helped him cope up with life faster. They showed him how to live and even managed to secure for him a job. The condition of living between cultures is something that posses a tremendous challenge to many immigrants and that is why the Diaspora community plays the role of welcoming those immigrants from their mother country. The story of Mohamed enables us to carry out a theoretical analysis of various processes that an individual goes through while migrating. According to (Rushdie 1992, p. 89), the modern-day migration has been transformed from the earlier form of movement caused by revolutions, epidemics and wars to the peaceful movement of individuals from one geographical area to another. All the same, the process affects both those who are migrating and the society that receives them. Emigrants face challenges of adaptation to the new social environments. The receiving society has to solve problems brought about by the immigrants such as economic challenges due to pressure on social amenities and also their cultural and social differences (Manning 2005, p. 67). The migrants from the Somali land moved to UK since they thought they could improve their living standards after getting jobs. Being part of a Diaspora community involves movement of persons from one region to another and settling down in their new homeland. We are told that, when Mohamed moved to Middlesbrough, he found many immigrants from Somali working as seamen. They had already established themselves and even intermarried with the English people that they were living with (Shain 2007, p. 95). The idea of home land and host land for the Somali migrants is very clear in their minds. They always remembered where they came from even after they had settled in UK for many years. Home land refers to that place where one was born before moving to another place or country. It is in the home land where someone gets cultural values, beliefs and gets acquainted with the general ways of life. This homeland for the Diasporas of Middlesbrough was Somaliland where Mohamed was brought up before migrating to Britain. The United Kingdom was the host land for the Somali migrants. It is a home away from where someone was born (Rainer & Thomas 1999, p. 122). Being a Diaspora in a host land leads to formation of a double consciousness. This is because one never feels settled in the environment with different social and cultural differences. As highlighted by Gilroy on the African intellectual story and history, the black Atlantic is relevant as it provides a transnational construction of cultures. The double consciousness theme stipulates the black atlantics to be both black and European in relationship to their mother land and their political constituency’s ethnics being fully transformed (Gilroy 1992, p. 45). Somali immigrants could affect the UK politics through voting due to dual identity and through intermarriages with the English people. Diasporas often experience social exclusion which makes them feel insecure and inferior. Mohamed for instance, was unable to communicate fluently with the English people in London and this contributed to his lack of employment. He felt inferior and insecure since he lacked the necessary company to enable him cope up with life. Mohamed felt unequal to the whites in regard to the treatment he received from them. He appeared lesser in the eyes of the English people. He could not express himself hence provoked his double consciousness and was to find home for himself (Sami, Eldridge & Abdallah 2006, p. 84). Issues and concepts arising from migration are well illustrated in the cultural theory. The implications of this theory evoke an understanding of aesthetic customs in the migration field and Diasporas. This theory analyses that, new technologies of information, communication, and war fare has rapidly led to global migration. A new paradigm for civilization and human cultures emphasizes rationality and networks framework establishing a foreground for interculturalism across boarders and around the globe. This occurs in great inequality, conquest and violence situations (Seidel 1986, p. 34). Criticism of communities of a Diaspora in host lands has taken a continued process. This is evident in the UK since white colour jobs were offered to the whites while the poorly paid ones were under the Africans means. This clearly shows how Diasporas in the host land are important to the country’s developments and economy. The tremendous competition among cultures in the international labour markets is highly regarded. Negligence of such Diasporas is not recommendable (Hoerder 2002, p. 28). Conclusion This paper has analysed an immigration story concerning Mohammed who attempted to find a good living in the United Kingdom. Issues, theoretical concepts and ideas have been deeply analysed. Though, it is important to note that, Mohamed long stay in the United Kingdom did not give him a home deep inside his mind. He identified Somali country as his home. Reference List Bauder, H 2006, Labor Movement: How Migration Regulates Labor Markets, Oxford University Press, New York. Brah, A 1996, Cartographies of Diaspora: Contesting Identities, Routledge, London. Braziel, J 2008, Diaspora: An Introduction, Blackwell, Malden, MA. Brubaker, R 2005, The Diaspora. Ethnic and Racial Studies 28. Retrieved 22 February 2011. Cohen, R 2008, Global Diasporas: An Introduction, Routledge, Abingdon. 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