Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the lives and livelihoods strategies of Somali women in Johannesburg, and argues that the fragmented, uncertain, and unsupportive socio-political context of South Africa creates a new sense of "buufis" (longing to go abroad) amongst this group of forced migrants.

Paper long abstract:

Forced migration is a traumatic and uncertain process: for women who flee structured societies where gender and family norms are carefully scripted, migration offers both new opportunities to break free of traditional restrictions, but also poses new challenges in how societies are regulated and social norms governed. This paper draws on original empirical evidence to understand the effects of displacement and settlement on Somali women's lives and livelihoods. It argues that although settlement in Johannesburg provides women with new political and economic resources, it also weakens social norms, particularly those relating to marriage, divorce and maintenance, that women traditionally relied on to ensure stability and support for themselves and their children.