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9781849044752

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'Everything you need to know about modern Africa can be found on the crowded streets of Nairobi's Little Mogadishu -- the dazzling energy, the unnerving challenges. Neil Carrier has walked those streets, and his rich, nuanced book strips away the cliches and misconceptions to reveal a community in furious flux, wrestling with the dilemmas of a whole continent.' -- Andrew Harding, BBC Africa correspondent and author of The Mayor of Mogadishu 'In this impeccably researched overview, Carrier sheds light on the buzzing economic life of an enigmatic, super-diverse, and marginalized urban neighbourhood. Eastleigh has long been represented through false contradictions (Is it fundamentally Kenyan or Somali? A home or a transit zone? Entrepreneurial success story or cover for pirates and terrorists?). Carrier's expert demystification contributes to our grasp of refugee studies, urban anthropology, globalization, and development economics.' -- Janet McIntosh, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Brandeis University and author of The Edge of Islam and Unsettled: Denial and Belonging among White Kenyans 'Nairobi's Somali enclave of Eastleigh is an extraordinary place -- a major centre of East African trade as well as of Islamic faith, political intrigue, and refugees seeking a better future. In this wonderful book, Neil Carrier depicts Eastleigh in all its vitality and complexity. I immensely enjoyed reading it, and learned much from it.' -- Gordon Mathews, Professor of Anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and author of Ghetto at the Center of the World: Chungking Mansions, Hong Kong 'Carrier's brilliantly researched and skillfully crafted book challenges the widespread negative perceptions about Somalis in Kenya. He unearths the deep historical roots of this entrepreneurial community in Nairobi's Eastleigh neighbourhood and how, against all odds, they have overcome barriers and transformed this sleepy place into a dynamic global business hub.' -- Yusuf Hassan, MP for Kamukunji Constituency (of which Eastleigh is part) 'In this compelling and breathtakingly thorough account, Carrier documents the vast reach of Eastleigh's refugee economy - throughout Kenya and across the world, from China's sites of production and Dubai's sites of consumption through Somali financial diaspora networks in Europe and North America. The superb review of Eastleigh's historic dynamism takes the reader through colonialism in east Africa, Somalia's collapse, the intersection of diasporic networks and global finance, contemporary security worries, and anticipatory views of the city of the future. A terrific read.' -- Catherine Besteman, author of Making Refuge: Somali Bantu Refugees and Lewiston, Maine

'More nuanced than any recent studies on Somalis in Eastleigh. . . very important and timely . . . Little Mogadishu is hopeful and humane.' A rich and colourful ethnography. . . one of the most detailed explorations of the regional impacts of Somali diasporic ties and remittances in East Africa . . . a path-setting contribution.' 'Everything you need to know about modern Africa can be found on the crowded streets of Nairobi's Little Mogadishu -- the dazzling energy, the unnerving challenges. Neil Carrier has walked those streets, and his rich, nuanced book strips away the cliches and misconceptions to reveal a community in furious flux, wrestling with the dilemmas of a whole continent.' -- Andrew Harding, BBC Africa correspondent and author of The Mayor of Mogadishu 'In this impeccably researched overview, Carrier sheds light on the buzzing economic life of an enigmatic, super-diverse, and marginalized urban neighbourhood. Eastleigh has long been represented through false contradictions (Is it fundamentally Kenyan or Somali? A home or a transit zone? Entrepreneurial success story or cover for pirates and terrorists?). Carrier's expert demystification contributes to our grasp of refugee studies, urban anthropology, globalization, and development economics.' -- Janet McIntosh, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Brandeis University and author of The Edge of Islam and Unsettled: Denial and Belonging among White Kenyans 'Nairobi's Somali enclave of Eastleigh is an extraordinary place -- a major centre of East African trade as well as of Islamic faith, political intrigue, and refugees seeking a better future. In this wonderful book, Neil Carrier depicts Eastleigh in all its vitality and complexity. I immensely enjoyed reading it, and learned much from it.' -- Gordon Mathews, Professor of Anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and author of Ghetto at the Center of the World: Chungking Mansions, Hong Kong 'Carrier's brilliantly researched and skillfully crafted book challenges the widespread negative perceptions about Somalis in Kenya. He unearths the deep historical roots of this entrepreneurial community in Nairobi's Eastleigh neighbourhood and how, against all odds, they have overcome barriers and transformed this sleepy place into a dynamic global business hub.' -- Yusuf Hassan, MP for Kamukunji Constituency (of which Eastleigh is part) 'In this compelling and breathtakingly thorough account, Carrier documents the vast reach of Eastleigh's refugee economy - throughout Kenya and across the world, from China's sites of production and Dubai's sites of consumption through Somali financial diaspora networks in Europe and North America. The superb review of Eastleigh's historic dynamism takes the reader through colonialism in east Africa, Somalia's collapse, the intersection of diasporic networks and global finance, contemporary security worries, and anticipatory views of the city of the future. A terrific read.' -- Catherine Besteman, author of Making Refuge: Somali Bantu Refugees and Lewiston, Maine 'Little Mogadishu is an exhilarating and colourful ride through the streets of Eastleigh, a compelling ethnographic account of those seeking the Eastleigh dream ...Carrier reveals with extraordinary detail and care the energy, passion and commitment of those who find hope and opportunity in displacement.' -- Africa at LSE blog

'Everything you need to know about modern Africa can be found on the crowded streets of Nairobi's Little Mogadishu -- the dazzling energy, the unnerving challenges. Neil Carrier has walked those streets, and his rich, nuanced book strips away the cliches and misconceptions to reveal a community in furious flux, wrestling with the dilemmas of a whole continent.' -- Andrew Harding, BBC Africa correspondent and author of The Mayor of Mogadishu 'In this impeccably researched overview, Carrier sheds light on the buzzing economic life of an enigmatic, super-diverse, and marginalized urban neighbourhood. Eastleigh has long been represented through false contradictions (Is it fundamentally Kenyan or Somali? A home or a transit zone? Entrepreneurial success story or cover for pirates and terrorists?). Carrier's expert demystification contributes to our grasp of refugee studies, urban anthropology, globalization, and development economics.' -- Janet McIntosh, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Brandeis University and author of The Edge of Islam and Unsettled: Denial and Belonging among White Kenyans 'Nairobi's Somali enclave of Eastleigh is an extraordinary place -- a major centre of East African trade as well as of Islamic faith, political intrigue, and refugees seeking a better future. In this wonderful book, Neil Carrier depicts Eastleigh in all its vitality and complexity. I immensely enjoyed reading it, and learned much from it.' -- Gordon Mathews, Professor of Anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and author of Ghetto at the Center of the World: Chungking Mansions, Hong Kong 'Carrier's brilliantly researched and skillfully crafted book challenges the widespread negative perceptions about Somalis in Kenya. He unearths the deep historical roots of this entrepreneurial community in Nairobi's Eastleigh neighbourhood and how, against all odds, they have overcome barriers and transformed this sleepy place into a dynamic global business hub.' -- Yusuf Hassan, MP for Kamukunji Constituency (of which Eastleigh is part) 'In this compelling and breathtakingly thorough account, Carrier documents the vast reach of Eastleigh's refugee economy - throughout Kenya and across the world, from China's sites of production and Dubai's sites of consumption through Somali financial diaspora networks in Europe and North America. The superb review of Eastleigh's historic dynamism takes the reader through colonialism in east Africa, Somalia's collapse, the intersection of diasporic networks and global finance, contemporary security worries, and anticipatory views of the city of the future. A terrific read.' -- Catherine Besteman, author of Making Refuge: Somali Bantu Refugees and Lewiston, Maine 'Little Mogadishu is an exhilarating and colourful ride through the streets of Eastleigh, a compelling ethnographic account of those seeking the Eastleigh dream ...Carrier reveals with extraordinary detail and care the energy, passion and commitment of those who find hope and opportunity in displacement.' -- Africa at LSE blog

Author Information

Neil Carrier is Departmental Lecturer in African Anthropology, University of Oxford, and author of Kenyan Khat: The Social Life of a Stimulant.

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