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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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In Clan We Trust: Social trust after civil war in northern Somalia
| Panel |
24. Trust and the Reconstruction of Society
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| Paper ID | 629 |
| Author(s) |
Hoehne, Markus Virgil
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| Paper |
No paper submitted
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| Abstract | In this paper I argue that in the northern Somali society ‘clan’ – as synonym for various kinds of identities based on patrilinear descent – was in the past, and still is, the basis for relations of trust. Over the last century, which encompasses the introduction of state structures in colonial time as well as the recent collapse of the state in Somalia, the notion of ‘clan’ and with it relations of trust have changed. However, these changes are hidden behind seeming continuities regarding the guise and roles of patrilinear descent in the Somali society. With reference to the relevant literature and my own ethnographic data I show that a meaningful distinction can be drawn between tol, on the one hand, and qabyaalad on the other. The former denotes patrilinear descent in relation to various other aspects of Somali society such as Islam and social contract called xeer; the latter alludes to the role of clan in the current context of partly violent identity politics. |
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