Moral geographies and their application among diasporic Somalis’

This article explores the moralities behind some diasporic Somalis’ high mobility. It is based on ethnographic fieldwork among diasporic Somalis who have migrated from western countries and relocated to Turkey. Drawing on mobility studies, the analysis shows that the reasons behind their mobility relate to the protection of their second-generation children from ‘bad moral behaviour’ by exposing them to stronger traditional cultural values. The study applies the notion of ‘moral geography’, which is mobility motivated by moral considerations, and the choice of geographical location that is aligned with migrants’ moral values. In this article, I argue that the (hyper)mobility of diasporic Somalis creates particular moral geographies that cannot be reduced to a question of either nomadism or sedentarism. I look at the first-generation diasporic Somalis’ mobility patterns and the meanings they attribute to it.