The Sahrawi Refugees and their National Identity : A qualitative study of how the Sahrawi refugees present their national identity in online blogs

Abstract

The Sahrawi refugees have lived in refugee camps in Algeria since the invasion of Western Sahara in 1975. The flight to the refugee camps marked the start of their refugee existence, and has become a critical event in the history of the Sahrawis. The Sahrawi nation and national identity was created in the refugee camps, as a part of a national project. This thesis aims to explore the national identity of the Sahrawi refugees, as it is presented in blogs on the Internet.

The national identity of the Sahrawi refugees is an established and continuous identity, sustained by cultural foundations from the Sahrawi past. The importance and content of the national identity may be explained by looking at the nature of the refugee situation. Ideals of struggle and sacrifice in the past and the present have a strong position in the Sahrawi national identity, and are interpreted as a part of the Sahrawi destiny. The destiny of the Sahrawi refugees signifies future independence in the homeland Western Sahara.