Sammendrag
Identity, specifically on an individual level adjusts after migration. The new environment that migrants find themselves in after migration provokes processes of acculturation influenced by social, economic, and cultural forces. This thesis explores the various adjustments in cultural practices, beliefs and identity of individuals that takes place amongst Rwandan migrants as well as their subsequent influence on generations that come post-migration. Autobiographical memory is used as a central point in understanding individuals’ identity. While scholars have discussed the connection that exists between migrants and their home countries, much of it is centred on economics, poverty, and conflict. Little value has been placed on the unique cultural identity that these individuals possess. Migration entails adaptation to a new culture in language, food, religious environment, and many other factors. The two countries under study are Norway and Rwanda as host and home countries respectively. Identity is affected in one way or the other after moving to Norway as migrants clash or acclimatize to western values that maybe different from African or specifically, Rwandan values. While different people of Rwandan origin in Norway will still identify as Rwandan after migration, the specific characteristics that define this Rwandanness varies among them. It is these small but significant differences that are explored. By exploring the perception and beliefs of migrants through past experiences recalled, mementos and oral tradition, we get an idea of what it means to be Rwandan. Failing to present what identity means for Rwandan migrants from their own points of view, leaves a gap in the description of what it means to be a Rwandan in Norway. This thesis is a product of ethnography carried out among Rwandan migrants in Oslo