Making Refuge: Somali Bantu Refugees and Lewiston, Maine

Global Insecurities

by Catherine Besteman

How do people whose entire way of life has been destroyed and who witnessed horrible abuses against loved ones construct a new future? How do people who have survived the ravages of war and displacement rebuild their lives in a new country when their world has totally changed? In Making Refuge Catherine Besteman follows the trajectory of Somali Bantus from their homes in Somalia before the onset in 1991 of Somalia’s civil war, to their displacement to Kenyan refugee camps, to their relocation in cities across the United States, to their settlement in the struggling former mill town of Lewiston, Maine. Tracking their experiences as "secondary migrants" who grapple with the struggles of xenophobia, neoliberalism, and grief, Besteman asks what humanitarianism feels like to those who are its objects and what happens when refugees move in next door. As Lewiston's refugees and locals negotiate coresidence and find that assimilation goes both ways, their story demonstrates the efforts of diverse people to find ways to live together and create community. Besteman’s account illuminates the contemporary debates about economic and moral responsibility, security, and community that immigration provokes.

 

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, Somalia, Ethnography, Read For School, War, School

352 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2016

Reviews

[Preri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ethnography does an excellent job of providing multiple perspectives on the topic of resettlement, both highlighting the agency of refugees in creating their future and the often insular views of the citizens of the host country that take them in. I was incredibly intrigued by the way in Besteman presented commonly-held assumptions and then debunked them summarily, and especially in the context of the racism protests happening right now, I think this book is important in identifying how Americans treat outsiders or anybody who seems like they don't belong.

This book was well-structured and well-argued with both classic ethnographic techniques as well as other resources and factual evidence that helped to corroborate Besteman's claims. Overall, I would definitely recommend this ethnography for those who wish to delve intro anthropology or simply learn more about the stories of Somali Bantu who were forced to relocate to the United States for their safety.

[Nickole · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story about the Somali Bantu refugees and all the challenges they faced before and after they came to America. It really opened my eyes to how much we truly take for granted here, all of our expectations when this group of people like many others that have seeked refuge here only want a chance to make a better life and just survive. The section that talks about the top 10 myths about the Somali Bantu refugees was extremely eye opening to me, I had heard many of them and didn't really think about the opinions and biases that existed within me until I read that. After reading all of the facts and finishing this book I have to admit I was a little ashamed of the preconceived thoughts/opinions I had without any real evidence or basis for them. I thank the author for sharing all of that and I am so happy I had the opportunity to read this book.

[Bridgett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ethnography is highly readable and informative, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. There’s so much to learn from this book about refugee experience and the focus on a particular group of Somali Bantus settled in the United States makes it more personal than theoretical.

My partner is from Lewiston, and he bought this book for me because he knew I was interested in the background and details of the resettlement in Lewiston.

But Catherine Besteman does more than provide the details. She does a great job connecting the dots between the particulars of the Somali Bantu’s story to larger understandings about the politics of refugee camps, humanitarian aid, immigration, and xenophobia. I also appreciated how she made clear connections between the history of colonialism, international aid, and world politics to the particulars of Somalia’s civil war and the subsequent refugee crisis.

The things I learned from this book has given me a better understanding of refugee experience and especially how resettlement is not a happily-ever-after-ending to the story that we imagine. I hope that more people pick this up and gain as much new knowledge as I did.

[Kassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an odd experience to read an ethnography the subject of which is the city one works in, many of the informants for which are people one knows. I would recommend this book, however, to anyone, not just those with personal ties to Lewiston, for it serves as a kind of handbook for how to stop "seeing like a state," and start "seeing like a refugee." And in my opinion, the latter will become an increasingly necessary disposition, not only for remaining humane, but for survival. My only quibble is that I wish that Chapter 6 had been as incisively critical as the other chapters, highlighting gaps and contradictions in the discourses of the more cosmopolitan-minded members of the helping professions that it profiles, as ruthlessly as other chapters expose the muddles of international humanitarian NGOs, national and local governments, bigots, and even refugees themselves.

[Haylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this ethnography for a ruthless exposé on the contradictions of humanitarian aid/NGOs & details the refugee experience from fleeing a civil war that turned pastoralists into militiamen through to the xenophobic not-so-happily-ever-after resettlement process in America.

[Laura Shible · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a graduate course on Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. Having taught at Lewiston High School for seven years, I initially assumed that Making Refuge would offer little new insight into the experiences of my Somali students. I was completely wrong.

Catherine Besteman masterfully traces the Somali Bantu community’s journey from displacement in Somalia to resettlement in Lewiston, Maine. Through her ethnographic approach, she captures not only the hardships of migration but also the resilience, resourcefulness, and communal strength that define this group’s experience. I gained a much deeper understanding of the important distinctions between Somali and Somali Bantu identities (differences I had previously overlooked), and how these histories continue to shape students’ lives and perspectives in our classrooms.

What struck me most was how easily misconceptions can form when we interpret others’ actions through our own cultural lens. Besteman’s work challenges such assumptions, reminding educators of the importance of empathy, cultural humility, and listening to lived experiences. By the end of the book, I was deeply moved by the community’s determination to build a sense of belonging despite the many obstacles they faced. A must read if you live or teach in Maine, or if you work or live in a community with a lot of refugees.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Besteman writes a wonderful recount of her reunion with old friends she had met in her previous field work in Somalia and how those refugees are resettling in America. It's a wonderful story of how immigration is more than assimilation of the immigrants but rather how new communities have to adapt together to form new understandings of each other. This book tells a refreshing perspective on Immigration here in the U.S. that means a lot in such a politically tense time. I feel this book takes a nice breath of fresh air on the subject. It's not too anthropologically dense and I feel anyone would be able to understand the book and the implications Besteman is trying to make. Overall a good read for those interested in Immigration.

[Aidan Corrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for a class, Brilliant!

[Duke Press]

"Besteman eschews social science jargon to tell her story with great insight and empathy. Her book should be required reading for policymakers currently debating what to do with refugees from Syria." — Nichola van de Walle Foreign Affairs

"Given Besteman’s unique perspective on the Somali Bantu community in Lewiston and her impressive scholarship on refugees, Africa and racism, it would be difficult to imagine any scholar having as rich and multi faceted a frame of reference on the issue of refugees in Maine. ... Besteman’s writing offers an in depth and timely analysis of the Somali Bantu experience in Lewiston, now in its second decade."
— Dave Canarie Portland Press Herald

"Tensions between newcomers and established communities are as old as the US itself, and Making Refuge is a rich account of what is gained and what is lost in becoming American. Think of this book as your ringside seat to the birth of a new shared meaning of 'life the way it should be.'" — Faith Nibbs Times Higher Education

[Jamie Dacyczyn]

Made it to about 76 pages in....and then somehow went weeks without picking it up again. I just got distracted by shinier books, I guess. The type size seemed a bit small and close together in this one, with narrow margins and lots of difficult (to me) names of people and places, so it wasn't as easy to read as the other books on my TBR pile that were beckoning to me.

I do still want to read this eventually, as the situation with the Somali immigrants in Lewiston is fascinating to me.

[Maryann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing account by a Colby College anthropologist who did fieldwork with “Somali Bantus” who later turn up as immigrants in nearby Lewiston, ME. They moved to Lewiston for its quiet lifestyle, low cost of living, and low crime rate. Figuring how to work within the American system took years. Sometimes the story is obscured by Besteman’s use of academic language. I’m not sure what audience she was writing for.

[Amanda Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a Worthwhile Read

This book is not one I would normally have chosen to read, but I'm so glad I did. It was so enlightening and I really appreciated the variety of perspectives the author presented and how accessible she made issues that are complex and nuanced.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone wanting to really understand this refugee society and challenges faced in living in our community in Lewiston ME. Catherine Besteman is currently an anthropology professor at Colby college. She studied and lived for a year with the Bantus (a name given them to help with refugee designation) in 1988-89 before the wars that made them refugees. She reconnected with some of these villagers in Lewiston after their 2006 immigration. An easy read book to help us understand the interactions of our two cultures and impacts on each. I highly recommend it for those who want to understand and help in any way.