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29 Refuge 43 (2012)
Social Media Usage, Tahriib (Migration), and Settlement among Somali Refugees in France

handle is hein.journals/rfgcjr29 and id is 43 raw text is: Volume 29 Refuge Number 1 SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE, TAHRIIB (MIGRATION), AND SETTLEMENT AMONG SOMALI REFUGEES IN FRANCE HOUSSEIN CHARMARKEH Abstract Technologies are omnipresent in our society, from mobile telephone systems to satellite television and Internet broad- casting, which shape the way we live, work, and interact. They have also transformed the experience of international migration, making it possible for migrants to maintain strong ties between the host society and the home coun- try. In this article, we examine the precarious situation lived by Somali refugees in France, and we explore their uses of social media during tahriib or their migratory path and settlement in three French cities. The first section dis- cusses the method on which this field study is based, that of critical and multi-sited ethnography. After describing liv- ing conditions experienced by Somali refugees in France in the next section, the last section presents the findings of the field study. In doing so, the present research strives to fill a research gap by contributing to the advancement of knowledge on social media use by refugees. Risumi Les technologies de l'information et de la communica- tion (TIC) sont omnipr sentes et la t l phonie mobile, la television par satellite et internetfagonnent notrefagon de vivre, de travailler et d'interagir. Elles ont aussi transforms la migration internationale, rendant possible pour les migrants le maintien des liens forts entre la socite d'accueil et le pays d'origine. Dans cet article, nous examinons le sort precaire des refugies Somaliens en France et explorons leurs usages des midias sociaux pendant le tahriib ou tra- jet migratoire et l'installation dans trois villes frangaises. Dans un premier temps, nous allons presenter la m thode de l'ethnographie critique et multi-sites sur laquelle repose cette presente enquete de terrain. Il s'agit en dernier, apres avoir decrit les conditions de vie des refugies Somaliens en France, de presenter les resultats. Cette presente recherche tente de contribuer a l'avancement du savoir sur les usages des medias sociaux par les refugies. Introduction Information and communication technologies (ICT) per- meate today all levels of society and undoubtedly contrib- ute to a sense of reduced space and time. The accelerated development of these technologies arises from a radical transformation of a largely globalized capitalist economy.1 Mobile telephone systems, satellite television, and Internet broadcasting shape the way we live, work, and interact. They have also transformed the experience of international migration, making it possible for migrants to maintain strong ties between the host society and the home country. Many studies have been conducted in this context on the uses of ICT by migrants in host countries.2 However, stud- ies focusing on the uses of ICT by refugees during their migratory trajectories and their settlement are limited. In a research report prepared by Linda Leung3 for the UNHCR and published in 2011, the author highlights the fact that there was little consideration of the particular importance technology held for refugees and asylum seekers, individ- uals who are also affected by problems of migration and marginalization. The present research strives to fill this gap by contributing to the advancement of knowledge on social media use by refugees. In this context, social media refers to primarily new media including Facebook and YouTube. There are also supporting instant communication tools such as Skype, MSN Messenger, and VoIP (Voice over Internet 43 © Houssein Charmarkeh, 2013. This open-access work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, which permits use, reproduction and distribution in any medium for non-commercial purposes, provided the original author(s) are credited and the original publication in Refuge: Canada's Journal on Refugees is cited. Volume 29 Refuge Number 1