In the wake of the collapse of the Somali government in 1991, a "second" or "informal" economy based on trans-border trade and smuggling is thriving. While focusing primarily on pastoral and agricultural markets, Peter D. Little demonstrates that the Somalis are resilient and opportunistic and that they use their limited resources effectively. While it is true that many Somalis live in the shadow of brutal warlords and lack access to basic health care and education, Little focuses on those who have managed to carve out a productive means of making ends meet under difficult conditions and emphasizes the role of civic culture even when government no longer exists. Exploring questions such as, Does statelessness necessarily mean anarchy and disorder? Do money, international trade, and investment survive without a state? Do pastoralists care about development and social improvement? This book describes the complexity of the Somali situation in the light of international terrorism.
(2004)
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Little (anthropology, Univ. of Kentucky) shows how since 1991, Somalia has adapted to a freewheeling, stateless capitalism. As in other collapsed African states, the borders between war and peace, official and unofficial, and legal and illegal are fuzzy, especially for pastoralists. Moreover, like Terrance Ranger (The Invention of Tribalism in Zimbabwe, 1985), Little sees ethnicity and clanism as created, manifested, combined, and reconstituted in struggles for political and economic benefits. In the 1990s, the UN and allied parties contributed to the proliferation of clan and subclan by elevating their significance in allocating resources. In some instances, to increase power disguised militia leaders or warlords became elders and their followers clans. Little's thorough, clearly written, and well—organized book is a treat for scholars. His study combines an economic anthropology of Somalian herding and trading communities; explanations of how people survive in failed states and who wins and who loses; how people organize their financial transactions without a central bank; the growth of telecommunications facilities and financial stability amid a collapsed state; how conflict contributes to the decline of major urban areas; and how all these have been affected by the US-led war on terror. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper—division undergraduate through professional collections.E. W. Nafziger, Kansas State University, Choice, may 2004
(E. W. Nafziger, Kansas State University Choice 2004)"Little's thorough, clearly written, and well-organized book is a treat for scholars.... Highly recommended." —Choice, May 2004
(Choice )About the Author
Peter D. Little is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky. He is author of The Elusive Granary: Herder, Farmer, and State in Northern Kenya
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
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This review is from: Somalia: Economy without State (African Issues) (Paperback)
This book is absolutely wonderful. First, it is easy to read and it offers a rarely studied cultural perspective on economies in failed states, and in states with weak governments. The book is very well researched, and sources a number of other very good authors. The only draw back is that the book is almost entirely focused on the nomadic population in Southern Somalia, and offers little perspective on the merchant populations and no perspective on the Sab agricultural groups. Nonetheless, it was very informative.
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
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Somalia Economy,
This review is from: Somalia: Economy without State (African Issues) (Paperback)
This book has a lot of detail on the Somalia economybut most of it is from the 1980's and 1990's. Although it has a lot of detail I felt it was not organized in a way that I was getting the big picture.
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This book is about the persistence of a society and economy that has endured instabilities along all fronts - political, social, and environmental. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
overseas export trade, trader interview, local herders, veterinary inputs, export traders, livestock trade, grazing zones, dairy trade, procure animals, cattle pastoralism, pastoral sector, livestock exports, herd movements, livestock marketing, unofficial trade, cattle trade, cattle exports, livestock sector, southern borderlands, livestock prices, grazing patterns, border market, cattle prices, camel herders, market chain Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Jubba Valley, Mohamed Zubeyr, Jubba River, Middle East, World Bank, Saudi Arabia, United Nations, Afmadow District, East Africa, Siad Barre, Sierra Leone, Garissa District, Bulla Hawo, Lag Dera, Kismayo District, Horn of Africa, Abdi Samatar, Ahmed Samatar, Indian Ocean, Abdi Saed, Bilas Qooqani, Descheeg Waamo, Belet Weyne, General Morgan, Hussein Aideed New!
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