In collaboration with SOAS, join us for two presentations and discussions examining contemporary issues in Somali political processes. The first panel will feature Professor Ahmed Samatar and Professor Abdi Samatar, who will present and discuss the arguments advanced in their recent article, “The Rise and Demise of Somali Nationalism.”
The second panel will be led by Ms. Fowsia A. Abdulkadir who will deliver a presentation on the Somali Region’s Transitional Justice Process, and Dr. Juweria Ali who will respond as a discussant.
Panel 1 (6:30-8:30pm): The Rise and Demise of Somali Nationalism, by Ahmed Samatar and Abdi Samatar
Abstract: The national question looms large in many parts of the world today. Somalia's case is particularly enigmatic. It is now over four decades since the fatal decline and subsequent evisceration of the national state. As a result, the recurring and puzzling question is this: Why have Somalis, who share so much cultural capital, have been unable to reverse their calamity and rebuild their nation? This article explores this conundrum. First, it narrates some of the contours of the time that has been run; and how the current Somali demos have lost civic affection and, therefore, exudes attributes of in-itself. To alter this condition, and redeem politics, we suggest ways towards an awakening for-itself. Finally, we argue for the deliberate downplaying of three dominant Somali concepts which have become synonymous with self-absorption, caustic "othering," and ill-temper. In their place, we proffer another Somali concept that is deeply inclusive and could rekindle civic hearts for redemptive ethos and action.
Prof. Ahmed Ismail Samatar is a Somali-American scholar and the James Wallace Professor of International Studies at Macalester College. He is the founding dean of the college’s Institute for Global Citizenship and founding editor of Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies. His work explores Somali politics and global political economy.
Prof. Abdi Ismail Samatar is a Somali-American scholar, author, and politician. He is a Professor in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Society at the University of Minnesota, and an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria. He is also an elected member of the African Academy of Sciences, a member of the Board of Trustees of Kismayo University, and a member of the Pan-African Parliament.
Panel 2 (8:30-9:30pm): No Justice, No Peace? Lessons from the Somali Region’s Transitional Justice Process, by Fowsia A. Abdulkadir (Discussant: Dr. Juweria Alia)
Abstract: For decades, the Somali Region in Ethiopia has been shaped by violent conflict and state repression, yet there has been little effort to reckon with this legacy. Since 2018, however, Ethiopia’s parliament has adopted a Transitional Justice policy, and the Ethiopian National Dialogue is underway, signalling renewed, if contested, efforts to confront historical injustices. But what does justice look like in a place where the wounds of the past are still so raw? This event uses the Somali Region as a microcosm for thinking about the promises and pitfalls of transitional justice in contexts marked by protracted conflict and fragile peace. Drawing on the region’s past and present, this session will explore what meaningful repair might look like, and how communities and institutions navigate the tension between remembering and moving forward. In doing so, we ask whether the Somali Region’s experience offers lessons for navigating the peace-justice nexus across the Somali territories.
Ms. Fowsia A. Abdulkadir is the First Deputy Commissioner of the Somali Regional State (SRS) of Ethiopia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (SRS-TRC)
Dr. Juweria Ali is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Westminster’s Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD), a British Academy ODA Global Innovation Fellow, and a Research Associate on the Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform (Peace-Rep) Somalia Programme at the London School of Economics (LSE)