Afterword: Bifrost: Toward New Rainbows of Transnational Civic and Heart Mobilization

Summary

In this important study, Dr. A. Osman Farah offers us rich descriptions and insightful theorization and conceptualization of dynamics of transnational political and civic mobilization in Aarhus, Denmark. Describing the manifold creative and critical works of AarhusSomali, a transnational civic body consisting of local people of Denmark and refugees and migrants from Somali, Farah also presents us with wider challenges of theories and practices of transnationalization and the limits of nation-state-centric approaches and organization of self, society, and polity now. Farah is a creative activist and scholar who embodies the vision and practice of scholar-activists. This book is an important contribution to this much-needed genre of scholarship in transnational studies and the wider fields of social science and humanities.

In this book, Farah offers us many valuable insights. He writes, for example, how “contemporary transnational societies often quest to overcome objectified nation-state enclosures, often from below. However, such societal processes remain neither static nor conclusive. From non-artificial platforms in the form of human-community-centric transnationalizations, with continuing dynamics of social and political exchanges and modifications, transnational community activities represent an end on their own terms” (p. 34). He also tells us how “In pragmatic terms, communities engage local, national, and transnational platforms through creative platforms, departing from the local contexts in the host society in gradual expansion to other platforms across nations and states.” Transnational civic mobilizations resist repatriation of some Somalis to Somalia. They also contribute to local public policy formation though challenges remain as the local political and administrative leadership have sometimes apriori prejudiced regarding people from Somalia, which came out starkly during the COVID-19 outbreak when the mayor of Aarhus tried to target the local Somali community as sources of spread. AarhusSomali creatively worked to dispel such misinformation and create a positive environment. The problem of Islamophobia is a major challenge in the world today including in Denmark. Here AarhusSomali tries to create conditions for more holistic realization of paths of Islam as well as improving the community image of the Somalis. Farah writes: “In improving the community's image, ArhuSomali engages multiple fronts, both in the form of bonding within the community and the cross-ethnic way of bridging with other communities.” Farah also tells us: “Ordinary people now know more about Islam and the Muslim communities” (p. 88).