Nuer Journeys Essay

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NUER JOURNEYS, NUER LIVES: SUDANESE REFUGEES IN MINNESOTA Foreword Largest wave of immigration US history From developing societies Yet, immigrants are a smaller % of total population than ever Geographically concentrated in specific urban centers “New African Diaspora” includes Sudanese, Kenyans, Ethiopians, Somalis, Nigerians This is an ethnographic case study of a transnational diaspora population. Many anthropologists have studied both the sending society and the diasporic community. (E.g., Dr. Kelly’s work with urban Somalis.) Author Holtzman studied the Samburu, a similar society to the Nuer while he was in Africa, and studied the Nuer in Minnesota. Nuer are mostly refugees, a specific legal category of immigrant. There is a relationship between immigration and emigration. The Nuer are an example of what is happening in the emerging global system. Chapter 1 - Introduction Small apartments, low income housing for many refugees/immigrants. Many diasporic communities are located in cities much colder than the countries of origin; therefore immigrants must adapt to keep warm. Nuer are “Black” Africans from rural villages. They have distinctive cultural marks: bir scars on women, gar scars on men, and dental gaps where lower teeth were removed. Nuer were one of the most important case studies in anthropology in the 20th century. E.E. Evans-Pritchard described them in the 1930s. Used participant observation. Civil war for over 50 years peaked in 1990s and led to refugee flows out of Sudan, resettlement in the US. NUER Agro-pastoralists. Tribal, with some elements of chiefdom Village organization associated with farming, permanent water Traditional leopard-skin chief Colonial and post-colonial government-appointed chiefs became “traditional” Nilotic language family includes related Dinka and many other groups found in Eastern
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