Clan and Cultural Intimacy

This chapter provides an overview of Somali kinship studies and discusses why such studies have become marginalized within Somali studies. It is argued that cultural intimacy explains the intricacies that shape Somalis’ contestation of clan and the cultural intimacy of clan inhibits scholarship. A practice theory approach to clan is outlined and Bourdieu’s formulation of social capital serves as a foundation for understanding how clan is experienced and employed. The chapter discusses Somalis’ initial movement to Finland as accidental and later movement as a strategy to access benefits of the Finnish welfare state. The Finnish context is discussed, including xenophobia and racism, as well as strategies and challenges of conducting research including views of researchers.