University of Oxford : Post-transitional’ directions in the Somalias workshop
(SM) – Horn of Africa seminar series workshop – ‘Post-transitional’ directions in the Somalias
April 30, 2013 , Location TBC , University of Oxford
As Somalia’s Transitional Federal Charter was being wound down in August 2012, and particularly after the new Federal Parliament elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as president in September, a surge of sentiment — loosely organised around the keyword/hashtag ‘Somalia Rising’ — was channelled into discussions on Twitter and other social media and discussion fora. By and large, commentators focused on the positive implications of the change of leadership taking place in Mogadishu.After the establishment of a notionally permanent government in Mogadishu, that optimism is set to be tested. However, long-standing assumptions about Somalia may also need to be questioned, in order to gain a better sense of what has changed, what has not, and what new challenges are ahead. Related to the question of where Somalia is headed is the question of the state of ‘Somali studies’ after two decades of reduced access for external scholars and an impaired educational environment in Somalia itself.This workshop will consider a range of political and social dynamics, grouped around two themes — ‘Futures in the Somalias’ and ‘The Future of Somali Studies’. In addition, we will take advantage of the occasion to launch a special issue of the Journal of Eastern African Studies, guest edited by Markus Hoehne, Effects of ‘Statelessness’: Dynamics of Somali politics, economy and society since 1991.Confirmed speakers/discussants include:
Markus Hoehne, Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology
Sally Healy, Fellow, Rift Valley Institute
Lidwien Kapteijns, Professor of History at Wellesley College
Siham Rayale, PhD Student, SOAS, University of London
April 30, 2013 , Location TBC , University of Oxford
As Somalia’s Transitional Federal Charter was being wound down in August 2012, and particularly after the new Federal Parliament elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as president in September, a surge of sentiment — loosely organised around the keyword/hashtag ‘Somalia Rising’ — was channelled into discussions on Twitter and other social media and discussion fora. By and large, commentators focused on the positive implications of the change of leadership taking place in Mogadishu.After the establishment of a notionally permanent government in Mogadishu, that optimism is set to be tested. However, long-standing assumptions about Somalia may also need to be questioned, in order to gain a better sense of what has changed, what has not, and what new challenges are ahead. Related to the question of where Somalia is headed is the question of the state of ‘Somali studies’ after two decades of reduced access for external scholars and an impaired educational environment in Somalia itself.This workshop will consider a range of political and social dynamics, grouped around two themes — ‘Futures in the Somalias’ and ‘The Future of Somali Studies’. In addition, we will take advantage of the occasion to launch a special issue of the Journal of Eastern African Studies, guest edited by Markus Hoehne, Effects of ‘Statelessness’: Dynamics of Somali politics, economy and society since 1991.Confirmed speakers/discussants include:
Markus Hoehne, Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology
Sally Healy, Fellow, Rift Valley Institute
Lidwien Kapteijns, Professor of History at Wellesley College
Siham Rayale, PhD Student, SOAS, University of London
The workshop is open to all, and will involve a mix of academic and practitioner voices. Please registerinterest (or questions) by emailing Jason Mosley, the convenor of the Horn of Africa seminar, at : jason.mosley@africa.ox.ac.uk
