Crossing (Biometric) Borders: Turning 'Gravity' Upside Down
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Crossing (Biometric) Borders : Turning 'Gravity' Upside Down. / Simonsen, Anja.
I: Ethnos, Bind 87, Nr. 2, 2022, s. 306-320.Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › fagfællebedømt
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Crossing (Biometric) Borders
T2 - Turning 'Gravity' Upside Down
AU - Simonsen, Anja
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Based on fieldwork among Somali men and women in Somaliland, Turkey and Italy, this article examines the interaction between two ways in which identity is created. On the one hand, there are the conclusive IDentities that clan structures within Somaliland attempt to create based on geneology, as well as those that immigration officials attempt to establish for border-crossers through ‘credible’ documents or the registration of fingerprints. On the other hand, social identities are shown as being always in the making. The article discusses the ways in which these two processes are articulated with one another and how such ID/identity are negotiated by exploring the ability of European documents to open up social opportunities back in Somaliland, as well as how little, if anything, Somali documentation is worth for official purposes in Europe. These aspects reflect the ambiguous ‘make-believe’ of European refugee documentation and fingerprinting itself.
AB - Based on fieldwork among Somali men and women in Somaliland, Turkey and Italy, this article examines the interaction between two ways in which identity is created. On the one hand, there are the conclusive IDentities that clan structures within Somaliland attempt to create based on geneology, as well as those that immigration officials attempt to establish for border-crossers through ‘credible’ documents or the registration of fingerprints. On the other hand, social identities are shown as being always in the making. The article discusses the ways in which these two processes are articulated with one another and how such ID/identity are negotiated by exploring the ability of European documents to open up social opportunities back in Somaliland, as well as how little, if anything, Somali documentation is worth for official purposes in Europe. These aspects reflect the ambiguous ‘make-believe’ of European refugee documentation and fingerprinting itself.
KW - Biometric technologies
KW - ID documents
KW - Somalis
KW - migration
KW - clan families
U2 - 10.1080/00141844.2019.1634616
DO - 10.1080/00141844.2019.1634616
M3 - Journal article
VL - 87
SP - 306
EP - 320
JO - Ethnos
JF - Ethnos
SN - 0014-1844
IS - 2
ER -
ID: 241207142