Rethinking Somali State-building: In View of the Comprehensive Perspective of Somali Studies

Abstract
Somali studies is a multidisciplinary field that explores the Somali people in the Horn of Africa, their global diasporic communities, and their interactions with other societies. Positioned between Africa and the Middle East, Somali studies draw heavily from both African and Middle Eastern scholarship. Despite significant advancements in the field, key questions—such as the reasons behind the Somali state’s collapse within 30 years of independence (1960-1991) and how to successfully reinstitute it—remain contested. Moreover, the political culture and policies of Somalia’s former military regimes continue to influence contemporary state-building processes, perpetuating past governance challenges.While this paper focuses on Somalia, its central thesis extends to other postcolonial states in conflict with traditional societal structures, such as Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Chad, Mauritania, and Afghanistan. These countries have followed a similar trajectory, from weak postcolonial governments to military dictatorships, civil wars, and ongoing state-society conflict. This paper outlines the theoretical framework underpinning the research, identifies the critical challenges to Somali state-building, and provides an overview of diverse perspectives within Somali studies. It culminates in a discussion of the main conflicts in Somalia and proposes an Inclusive Reconciliation Framework (IRF), which could serve as the foundation for a Stability Model (SM) to guide future state-building efforts.

Keywords
Somali studies, comprehensive perspective, Somali state-building, theory of state-society relations, elite theory, ibn-Khaldun’s theory of solidarity, Somali elite culture, Stability Model of Somali State-building

Cite this paper
Abdurahman Baadiyow, Rethinking Somali State-building: In View of the Comprehensive Perspective of Somali Studies , SCIREA Journal of Sociology. Volume 8, Issue 5, October 2024 | PP. 241-272. 10.54647/sociology841323

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