Sudanese and Somali Women in Ireland and in Finland: Material Religion and Culture in the Formation of Migrant Women’s Identities in the Diaspora

In this chapter, the meaning and importance of material religion and culture for the formation of migrant women’s religious, cultural, ethnic and national identities in the diaspora will be investigated. The chapter will compare two groups of African Muslim women coming from Sudan and Somalia who migrated to two different European countries – Ireland and Finland respectively. The focus of the chapter lies in the investigation of the impact various material objects and symbols have on the women’s sense of belonging and self-understanding in a European context. The chapter will examine how Sudanese and Somali women create their private spaces within their houses through particular objects, symbols and artefacts in order to construct a ‘home’ for themselves in the diaspora.