The early morning phone call: Somali refugees' remittances, by Anna Lindley, Oxford, Berghahn Books, 2010, 179 pp., £14.00 (hardback), ISBN 9781845456443
Much of the scholarship authored by expatriates on Somalia over the last two decades lacks serious theoretical engagement with the political-economic issues and provides no systematic field data that reflect the historical underpinnings of everyday life. Dr Lindley's book is partially a departure from such consultancy-driven production in at least one way: The early morning phone call, which is the first book-length assessment of the internal and external dynamics of Somali remittance/refugees, has unique and rich ethnographic field data on remittance. The book has six chapters whose content is a mixture of broad theoretical discussion on migration–development literature sprinkled with somewhat detailed personal stories of remitters as well as recipients. Field data for the book's argument come from field sites in Hargeisa, Nairobi and London.
Chapter 1 provides a thoughtful presentation and critique of the migration–conflict–development literature. Here Lindley is able to show the limitations of this scholarship using real-world experiences of individual refugees, remitters, recipients, and the structures of power that circumscribe refugee livelihoods. Chapter 2 is an attempt to provide a historical/cultural context for the book's argument. It broadly covers three themes: first, it is a condensed effort to lay bare aspects of Somalia's social, political and historical context that pertain to mobility and remittance, while the second theme provides a good description of the money transfer business. The final section is focused on the state and development debates and shows the author's preference for Somali regionalism rather than nationalism. Overall, the chapter has some useful materials, but lacks the kind of critical theoretical edge present in Chapter 1. Chapter 3 is an articulation of remittance flows and the role of the household in Hargeisa. It also maps the role of remittance in development and politics. Despite the value of this description there is a dearth of conceptual ideas dealing with politics and development and that makes the chapter tedious to read. An excellent opportunity to tease out insightful ways of seeing these relationships seems wasted here.
Chapter 4 examines the challenges Somali refugees face in Kenya and the remittance dynamics from Nairobi's Eastleigh Township where Somalis have become a vital economic force. The chapter has much useful information, some of it heart wrenching, but the author allows the reader to plunge into the details without providing a theoretical guide that enables him/her to make sense of the stories. A belated effort is made, at the end of the chapter, to pull the threads together but that effort comes too late. Chapter 5 delves into the ‘North–South divide’ and is a narrative of Somalis' migration to the UK, the harrowing journeys many endured, and the factors that induce individuals to remit despite towering economic difficulties. The treatment of affective bonds as a central force in remittance is well noted and is a key contribution to Western understanding of the seemingly irrational Somali behaviour. There are other factual nuggets about the ‘North–South’ divide, but here again the chapter fails to see life in London beyond the ‘remittance pressure’ such as the educated younger generation who are taking part in remittance as well as the world beyond. And finally, here the author appears as an apologist for the political fragmentation of the country in part because of her shallow and limited reading of the history and politics of Somalia.
The book's conclusion revisits the introductory theoretical remarks regarding the migration–development nexus. The narrative is on solid ground in the criticism it levels against the dominant literature and shows how careful ethnographic research can advance our understanding well beyond the macroeconomic models. But the policy propositions laid out are populist and may be a bit naïve.
In a nutshell, The early morning phone call is a timely and productive intervention in the debates on migration, remittance refugees and development. The ethnographic narrative is rich (though at times repetitive) and provides an excellent counterpoint to the general understandings of the role of remittance in development. The extensive details provided about remittance in three locations are unmatched in the literature, and the challenge the book poses to the literature on remittance and migration on the basis of the lived experiences of remitters and receivers is convincing. Finally, and disappointingly, the author's superb understanding of these literatures is unmatched by her superficial grasp of Somali culture, political economy, and history. First, the author is oblivious to Egal's strategic intervention in turning around the so-called Borama Conference of 1993. Linley is blind-sided in this matter because of her primary dependency on literature which is either out of date or politically partisan in the Somali conflict. Second, she accepts the notion that the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) was dominated by a particular ‘clan’ without checking the facts. Thus, Lindley fails to bring the same sharp theoretical insights to bear as she has done on the migration–development discourse. Third, the author deposits the infamous ‘clan’ map on page 21 to authenticate some of her clanist interpretations without any appreciation of the fact that it is historically and cartographically poor. Fourth, the Somali terms used are often misinterpreted, such as xawaala, caydh, and dhaqan celis. Xawaala does not mean ‘transfer of debt’ but simply means ‘transfer’; caydh does not mean ‘free money’, it means charity; and lastly dhaqan celis is not a nickname, but means cultural re-immersion. Finally, the author does not seem to understand the problematic nature of using terms like clan, clan economy, Somaliland, Dir, polygamy etc. without any consideration of contentious debates surrounding these and their political and policy implications.