ABSTRACT
In this chapter I will explore, on one hand, some of the vulnerabilities and challenges that Somali parents face when raising children in Canada, and on the other hand, the parents’ resources and agency to safeguard and support them. The main focus is on parents’ experiences and organization of everyday security, which is a central component of individual and family wellbeing. The chapter is based on nine months of fieldwork in Toronto and it mostly draws on qualitative interviews with parents. The data collection was part of a larger study on transnational Somali families. The findings show the continuum of violence in the lives of Canadian Somalis who often resettled in insecure low-income neighbourhoods in Toronto. While national- and municipality-level official security practices in Canada aim at fostering the security of all residents, at the same time they marginalize Somali families and contribute to their insecurity especially by framing young black men ‒ many of whom are Muslims ‒ as threats to security. Transnational family connections and (reinterpreted) religious traditions become some of the resources that parents rely on when raising their children. However, Canadian Somali parents are differently resourced and certain groups of parents, such as single mothers, are particularly vulnerable.
