Somalis in the Twin Cities and Columbus

Immigrant Incorporation in New Destinations

Stefanie Chambers

• Publisher: Temple University Press
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781439914427, 9781439914410
• eBook ISBN: 9781439914434
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Civics & Citizenship
• Index: Social Sciences

In the early 1990s, Somali refugees arrived in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. Later in the decade, an additional influx of immigrants arrived in a second destination of Columbus, Ohio. These refugees found low-skill jobs in warehouses and food processing plants and struggled as social "outsiders," often facing discrimination based on their religious traditions, dress, and misconceptions that they are terrorists. The immigrant youth also lacked access to quality educational opportunities.

In Somalis in the Twin Cities and Columbus, Stefanie Chambers provides a cogent analysis of these refugees in Midwestern cities where new immigrant communities are growing. Her comparative study uses qualitative and quantitative data to assess the political, economic, and social variations between these urban areas. Chambers examines how culture and history influenced the incorporation of Somali immigrants in the U.S., and recommends policy changes that can advance rather than impede incorporation. 

Her robust investigation provides a better understanding of the reasons these refugees establish roots in these areas, as well as how these resettled immigrants struggle to thrive.

Table of contents

• Contents
• List of Figures and Tables
• Acknowledgments
• 1 / Immigrant Incorporation in New Destinations
• 2 / Columbus: Somalis in the Heartland
• 3 / The Twin Cities: Somalis in the North Star State
• 4 / Political Incorporation
• 5 / Economic Incorporation
• 6 / Social Incorporation
• 7 / Moving toward Incorporation
• Appendix A / Challenges of Immigrant Incorporation in New Destinations: Somalis in the Twin Cities and Columbus
• Appendix B / Immigrant Incorporation in New Destinations: Somalis in the Twin Cities and Columbus
• Appendix C / Columbus Somali Incorporation Interviews
• Appendix D / Twin Cities Somali Incorporation Interviews
• References
• Index