The following study aims to explain the process of racism by defining both the biological and social concept of race. The author subsequently builds on this to describe the question of racism of Somalis in Cairo, Egypt. Somali migrants started to come to Egypt in the 1960's. The author interviewed both Somalis in Egypt as well as Egyptians for their perception of Somalis. The author concludes that Cairo is a culturally very diverse city and that experiences are very diverse. Also, the difficulty of the adaption of western theories on an environment like Egypt is also thematic in this research.
The research is divided into two parts. Firstly, account has been given to a definition of race and racism. It is highlighted in which ways these concepts can be viewed and defined exploring them from different angles. However, since race, and the practical implementation of racial thoughts, racism, is a western concept and due to the fact that a complementary concept can hardly be found in Middle Eastern literature, the definition is approached from a Western and Euro-centrist standpoint. In the second part, the life of Somalis in Egypt is contextualized, first, by giving a general overview over the history of Somalis in Egypt since 1960. This segment is will focus on the reasons for the migration of Somalis to Egypt. In the following, the results collected as part of field research where Somalis and Egyptians were interviewed will be used in order to get their individual take on this emotionally charged topic.
