Networks Of Dissolution: Somalia UndoneIn this penetrating and timely book, Anna Simons documents Somalia's impending slide toward anarchy. How do people react to a failing yet still repressive government? What do they do when the banks run out of cash? How do they cope with unprecedented uncertainty? These are some of the questions Simons addresses as she introduces the reader to Somalia's descent into dissolution from within the Somali capital of Mogadishu.Exploring the volatile mix of external interest in Somalia, internal politicking, and enduring social structure, she shows how cross-cultural misunderstanding and regroupment are key to explaining Somalia's breakdown at the national level. One aim of this book is to challenge broadly held assumptions about the content of nationalism, tribalism, and the state, as defined and debated by academics and as experienced by individuals. Another is to analyze the making of a pivotal moment in Somali history. Simons charts new ground in the study of the dissolution of a state at all levels, shuttling back and forth between micro and macro frames, historical and everyday practices, and expatriate and Somali experiences. |
From inside the book
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Page 17
Regardless of explanations , impressions never really altered . Noting at the
outset of his journey that the Arabs called the Berbera coast Bilad Wa Issi — the “
Land of Give Me Something ” ( 1894 / 1987 , 1 : 79 ) Burton eventually found
himself ...
Regardless of explanations , impressions never really altered . Noting at the
outset of his journey that the Arabs called the Berbera coast Bilad Wa Issi — the “
Land of Give Me Something ” ( 1894 / 1987 , 1 : 79 ) Burton eventually found
himself ...
Page 81
Even then , though because most people were at home or inside compounds
within largely expatriate and elite enclaves — it was never clear exactly what was
happening throughout the city , although the embassy could confirm over the net
...
Even then , though because most people were at home or inside compounds
within largely expatriate and elite enclaves — it was never clear exactly what was
happening throughout the city , although the embassy could confirm over the net
...
Page 116
There was a fortuitousness to this running around : by having to run around
because of gaps in the formal communications system individuals could never be
sure who they might run into and what possibilities might arise from these
accidental ...
There was a fortuitousness to this running around : by having to run around
because of gaps in the formal communications system individuals could never be
sure who they might run into and what possibilities might arise from these
accidental ...
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Contents
Introduction | 3 |
The Hardship Post | 11 |
PART TWO HISTORIES | 29 |
Copyright | |
16 other sections not shown
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Common terms and phrases
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