Displaced from the Horn of Africa: A Case Study of the Vernacular Photographs from the Somali diasporic community in Toronto

Most Somalis in Canada have migrated between the late 1980s and early 1990s as they were fleeing civil war. The Somali Civil War arose out of opposition to the military dictatorship led by Siad Barre during the 1980s, which led to civil unrest, clan-based warfare, and governmental collapse. This practical thesis explores the family photographs from two members of the Somali diasporic in Toronto. As such, this thesis produces a case study that examines the types of stories and memories prioritized when participants describe their own oral and photographic history, particularly since they have often experienced generational hardships and trauma due to resettlement. This project's practical component involves interviewing participants to record their oral histories and the digitalization and cataloguing of the family photographs shared with me.