Product Description

This text covers topics such as: before partition; the imperial partition - 1860-97; the dervish fight for freedom - 1900-20; Somali unification - the Italian East African empire; from trusteeship to independence - 1950-60; the problems of independence; the Somali revolution - 1969-76.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #469598 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Review
...this updated version of his classic text...Throughout the text, Lewis portrays the ingeniousness with which the Somali way of life has been adapted to all forms of modernity.' - Reference & Research Book News 'For more than a decade, Somalia has beenconsumed by civil war, famine and external intervention. Lewis is vociferous in maintaining his interpretation that these civil wars reflect the underlying divisiveness of the traditional clan system observed by outsiders since the nineteenth century. The Somaliland Republic, comprising the area of the former British Somaliland, seems to be the only ray of hope, and might actually be for some time the only viable Somali state on offer . Let us hope and pray that the suffering of the Somali people may some day be alleviated.' - James Quirin in Journal of African History 'A Modern History of Somalia is an excellent account of the political history of the Somali peoples. It should command the respect and interest of the world's of academia, policy, development workers, and an attentive and curious public. This fourth edition is Lewis' ultimate commentary on the possibility of reshaping Somali political history.' - Mohamed A. Salih in Modern African Studies 'Cette analyse partisane de l'histoire de la Somalie, eclairee par une bonne maitrise du terrain et des societes somaliennes, reste d'un grand interet pour un large public et pour les specialistes.' - Colette Dubois in Outre-Mers 'Professor I M Lewis' Somali History is a remarkable book for it remains after four editions - 1965, 1980, 1998 and 2002 - essential introductory reading for all who would learn of the Horn of Africa. ...These additional chapters are all original and they vividly portray more recent events against a background of the remarkable resilience of Somali cultural values. ...the facts are well marshalled and the reader is left in no doubt that in their interpretation the author draws heavily on an unequalled lifetime of anthropological and political analyses of the structure of traditional Somali life and society. This is certainly a book to read as it is likely to be influential.' - Richard Greenfield in Overseas Pensioner

Customer Reviews

Somali history in detail
I.M. Lewis is the recognized expert on Somali cultural anthropology. He presents detailed and accurate information on clan and family structure that aids in understanding issues facing the culture (and nation/s) today.

A Modern History of the Somali
The fourth edition (2002) of I.M. Lewis' A History of the Somali is described on the back cover as "Somalia's most definitive history updated," and it is indeed a comprehensive survey of Somali history, opening at about the tenth century A.D. Those interested in reading the book for the insights it might provide about the Somalia of today will probably find most of this history to be of little interest, and evidently to some extent the book's reputation rests in part on its being among the first English language studies of the subject. That said, however, there are detailed discussions of colonialism in Somalia, colonial boundaries and administration, Somali independence, Siad Barre's regime, the 1977-1978 Ogaden War with Ethiopia, the United Nations intervention in the early 1990s, and the "descent into chaos" beginning in 1991, all of which are important to understanding Somalia in the 21st century. The book also covers some of the subsequent efforts to create a new, viable Somalia, however, seven years after publication there is now much more that could be said on that subject.

The book's comprehensive discussion of clans and clan politics is another strength. It is no exaggeration to say that in order to fully understand any historical event in Somalia it is necessary to know the clan affiliations of those involved. Lewis consistently discusses the role of the clans in his analyses of post-colonial historical events in Somalia, and this emphasis both helps communicate the clan's paramount importance and explain various outcomes. If it weren't for clan insights being distributed throughout the book, it would be possible to pick up A Modern History of the Somali, read the later chapters, and come away with a working knowledge of modern Somalia, but as it is it's best to start at the beginning.