Little Mogadishu: Eastleigh, Nairobi's Global Somali Hub - Softcover

Neil C. M. Carrier

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1849044759 ISBN 13: 9781849044752

Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd, 2017

Synopsis

Nairobi's Eastleigh estate has undergone pro- found change over the past two decades. Previously a quiet residential zone, the arrival of vast numbers of Somali refugees catalysed its trans- formation into 'Little Mogadishu', a global hub for Somali business. Dozens of malls and hotels have sprouted from its muddy streets, attracting thousands of shoppers. Nonetheless, despite boosting Kenya's economy, the estate and its residents are held in suspicion over alleged links to Islamic terrorism, especially after the 2013 Westgate Mall attack, while local and international media have suggested with little evidence that its economic boom owes much to capital derived from Indian Ocean piracy. In contrast to such sensationalised reporting, Little Mogadishu is based on detailed historical and ethnographic research and explores the social and historical underpinnings of this economic boom. It examines how transnational networks converged on Eastleigh in the wake of the collapse of the Somali state, attracting capital from the Somali diaspora, and bringing goods - especially clothes and electronics - from Dubai, China and elsewhere that are much in demand in East Africa. In so doing, Little Mogadishu provides a compelling case-study of the developmental impact diasporas and transnational trade can have, albeit in a country where many see this development as suspect.

About this title

About the Author

Neil Carrier is Departmental Lecturer in African Anthropology, University of Oxford, and author of Kenyan Khat: The Social Life of a Stimulant.

Review

"Everything you need to know about modern Africa can be found on the crowded streets of Nairobi's 'Little Mogadishu' -- the dazzling energy, the unnerving challenges. Neil Carrier has walked those streets, and his rich, nuanced book strips away the cliches and misconceptions to reveal a community in furious flux, wrestling with the dilemmas of a whole continent."-- Andrew Harding, BBC Africa correspondent and author of The Mayor of Mogadishu

"In this impeccably researched overview, Carrier sheds light on the buzzing economic life of an enigmatic, super-diverse, and marginalized urban neighborhood. Eastleigh has long been represented through false contradictions (Is it fundamentally Kenyan or Somali? A home or a transit zone? Entrepreneurial success story or cover for pirates and terrorists?). Carrier's expert demystification contributes to our grasp of refugee studies, urban anthropology, globalization, and development economics."-- Janet McIntosh, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Brandeis University and author of The Edge of Islam and Unsettled: Denial and Belonging among White Kenyans

"In this compelling and breathtakingly thorough account, Carrier documents the vast reach of Eastleigh's "refugee economy" - throughout Kenya and across the world, from China's sites of production and Dubai's sites of consumption through Somali financial diaspora networks in Europe and North America. The superb review of Eastleigh's historic dynamism takes the reader through colonialism in east Africa, Somalia's collapse, the intersection of diasporic networks and global finance, contemporary security worries, and anticipatory views of the city of the future. A terrific read." -- Catherine Besteman, author of Making Refuge: Somali Bantu Refugees and Lewiston, Maine

"Nairobi's Somali enclave of Eastleigh is an extraordinary place -- a major centre of East African trade as well as of Islamic faith, political intrigue, and refugees seeking a better future. In this wonderful book, Neil Carrier depicts Eastleigh in all its vitality and complexity. I immensely enjoyed reading it, and learned much from it."-- Gordon Mathews, Professor of Anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and author of Ghetto at the Center of the World: Chungking Mansions, Hong Kong

"Carrier's brilliantly researched and skillfully crafted book challenges the widespread negative perceptions about Somalis in Kenya. He unearths the deep historical roots of this entrepreneurial community in Nairobi's Eastleigh neighborhood and how, against all odds, they have overcome barriers and transformed this sleepy place into a dynamic global business hub." -- Yusuf Hassan, MP for Kamukunji Constituency (of which Eastleigh is part)

"Little Mogadishu's an exhilarating and colourful ride through the streets of Eastleigh, a compelling ethnographic account of those seeking the 'Eastleigh dream' . . . Carrier reveals with extraordinary detail and care the energy, passion and commitment of those who find hope and opportunity in displacement."--Africa at LSE blog

Edition details

• Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1849044759
• ISBN 13: 9781849044752
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 256