Somali studies is the scholarly term for research concerning

Somalis The Somali people (, Wadaad's writing, Wadaad: , Arabic: ) are a Cushitic peoples, Cushitic ethnic group and nation native to the Somali Peninsula. who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic languages, East ...

and

Greater Somalia Greater Somalia, also known as Greater Somaliland (; ), is the geographic location comprising the regions in the Horn of Africa in which ethnic Somalis live and have historically inhabited.During the Scramble for Africa at the end of the 19th cent ...

. It consists of several disciplines such as

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

. The field draws from old Somali chronicles, records and oral literature, in addition to written accounts and traditions about Somalis from explorers and geographers in the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. The Somali Studies International Association is the primary organization for Somalist scholars. ''Bildhaan'', ''Somali Studies'', ''Horn of Africa'' and the ''Anglo-Somali Society Journal'' likewise serve as the field's main periodicals. Since 1980, prominent Somalist scholars from around the world have also gathered annually to hold the ''International Congress of Somali Studies''.

History

The academic platform that would become Somali studies has its formal origins with religious, linguistic and historical research done by 18th and 19th century Somali

scholar A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...

s, such as

Uways al-Barawi Sheikh Uways Al-Barawi (; 1847–1909) was a Somali scholar credited with reviving Islam in 19th century East Africa. Biography Early life Sheikh Uways was born in Barawa during the Geledi Sultanate period on the Benadir of Somalia coast, the so ...

and Shaykh Aidarus. However, Somalis since antiquity have exchanged ideas with polities in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

West Asia West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

and as far as

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

. Through early 20th century scholars like

Osman Yusuf Kenadid Osman Yusuf Kenadid (; ; 1889 – 14 August 1972) was a Somalis, Somali poet, writer, teacher and ruler. Born in Ceel Huur in 1889, he went on to create the Osmanya alphabet for writing Somali language, Somali. He died on 31 August 1972 in Mogad ...

and the polymath

Musa Haji Ismail Galal Musa Haji Ismail Galal (, ) (1917–1980) was a Somali people, Somali writer, scholar, linguist, historian and polymath. He is notable for playing a key role in the development of Somali Latin alphabet and the creation of Galaal script, a co ...

, other disciplines such as anthropology, sociology and archaeology would eventually form part of Somali studies. Kenadid published many works on various subjects related to Somali history and science, including textbooks on the

Somali language Somali is an Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic languages, Cushitic branch, primarily spoken by the Somalis, Somali people, native to Greater Somalia. It is an official language in Somalia, Somaliland, and Ethio ...

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

and Somali

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

. He borrowed significantly from the vast ancient Somali cultural repository, working towards a renaissance of this rich past. Galal later documented the Somali

astrological Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions of celesti ...

meteorological Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agriculture ...

and calendrical systems. He devoted two major works to traditional Somali science, ''The terminology and practice of Somali weather lore, astronomy, and astrology'' (1968) and ''Stars, seasons and weather in Somali pastoral traditions'' (1970), both of which are regarded as classics in Somali studies.

Fields of study

Archaeology

One of the earliest examples of

in Somalia can be traced back to the 19th century when George Revoil a French

explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...

excavated several ancient sites in northern Somalia where he found large quantities of

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

and

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

, including

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

pottery. After independence, Somali government officials in collaboration with

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

archaeologists began excavating various parts of Somalia during the 1970s. In late 1975,

Neville Chittick Dr. Neville H. Chittick (September 18, 1924 – July 27, 1984) was a British scholar and Archaeology, archaeologist. He specialized in the historic cultures of Northeast Africa, and also devoted various works to the Swahili Coast. Biography Chit ...

led a British-Somali archaeological expedition in the northern half of Somalia. Financed by the Somali authorities, the reconnaissance mission found numerous examples of historical artefacts and structures, including ancient coins, pottery,

drystone Dry stone, sometimes called drystack or, in Scotland, drystane, is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. A certain amount of binding is obtained through the use of carefully ...

buildings,

cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

s, walled

enclosures Enclosure or inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or "common land", enclosing it, and by doing so depriving commoners of their traditional rights of access and usage. Agreements to enc ...

standing stone A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright rock (geology), stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the Eur ...

s and platform monuments. Many of the finds were of pre-Islamic origin and associated with ancient settlements described by the 1st century ''

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (), also known by its Latin name as the , is a Greco-Roman world, Greco-Roman periplus written in Koine Greek that describes navigation and Roman commerce, trading opportunities from Roman Egyptian ports lik ...

'', among other documents.

Anthropology

Somali anthropology studies the way of life of the Somali people. Somalist anthropologists have in various books and papers documented traditional Somali social systems such as the ancient

Xeer ''Xeer'' (pronounced ) is the traditional legal system used by Somalis in Somalia, Djibouti, Somali Region of Ethiopia, and the North Eastern Province in Kenya. It is one of the three systems from which formal Somali law draws its inspiration, the ...

(

customary law A legal custom is the established pattern of behavior within a particular social setting. A claim can be carried out in defense of "what has always been done and accepted by law". Customary law (also, consuetudinary or unofficial law) exists wher ...

) and the

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

system, and examined their role within Somali society. In the field of Somali Islamic studies, scholars like

Ioan Lewis Ioan Myrddin Lewis FBA (30 January 1930 – 14 March 2014), popularly known as I. M. Lewis, was a Scottish professor emeritus of anthropology at the London School of Economics. Early life and education Born in Scotland to a Welsh father and ...

Said Sheikh Samatar Said Sheikh Samatar (, ‎; 1943 – 24 February 2015) was a Somali scholar and writer. Biography Early years Said was born in 1943 in the Ogaden in Ethiopia to Faduma and Sheikh Samatar. He came from a large family consisting of fourteen p ...

and Lee V. Cassanelli have written on the traditional Muslim structure of Somali society in books such as ''A Pastoral Democracy: A Study of Pastoralism and Politics Among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa'' (1961), ''Oral poetry and Somali nationalism: the case of Sayyid Mahammad 'Abdille Hasan'' (1982) and ''The Shaping of Somali Society: Reconstructing the History of a Pastoral People, 1600 to 1900'' (1982).

Enrico Cerulli Enrico Cerulli (15 February 1898 – 19 August 1988)Enrico Cerulli
''Worldcat''. Retrieved 27 Oct 20 ...

and Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi in their respective works ''Somalia: scritti vari editi ed inediti'' (1957) and ''Culture and Customs of Somalia'' (2001) have also summarized the origins and

ethnogenesis Ethnogenesis (; ) is the formation and development of an ethnic group. This can originate by group self-identification or by outside identification. The term ''ethnogenesis'' was originally a mid-19th-century neologism that was later introduce ...

of the Somali people.

Linguistics

In terms of

, Somali studies examines the inter-relationships between the

and other related

Afro-Asiatic languages The Afroasiatic languages (also known as Afro-Asiatic, Afrasian, Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic) are a language family (or "phylum") of about 400 languages spoken predominantly in West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of th ...

. Somali is by far the best documented language from the

Cushitic The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken primarily in the Horn of Africa, with minorities speaking Cushitic languages to the north in Egypt and Sudan, and to the south in Kenya and Tanzania. As of 2 ...

branch of Afro-Asiatic, with academic studies of it dating from before 1900. Linguists such as Bogumil Witalis Andrzejewski, Giorgio Banti, Annarita Puglielli, Cabdalla Cumar Mansuur, Mohamed Haji Rabi, Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi and Martin Orwin are considered among the foremost scholars on the study of the Somali language and the relation it has to the tongues spoken by related neighboring ethnic groups, such as the Afars, Oromos and Bejas. Mustafa Abdullahi Feiruz also focuses on the standardization of written Somali, and Somali language's links with

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

Organizations

The primary organization overseeing the field is the Somali Studies International Association.Somali Studies International Association, ''Proceedings of the 1st International Congress of Somali Studies: held in Mogadishu, Somalia, 6–13 July 1980 : papers received, 20 January 1982'', (Scholars Press: 1992)

Journals

Peer-reviewed

*''Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies'' () *''Horn of Africa: An Independent Journal'' () * ''Journal of Somali Studies'' () * ''Somali Studies: A Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal for Somali Studies'' () * ''Anglo-Somali Society Journal'' ()

Other

Conferences

Since its inaugural gathering in

Mogadishu Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...

between July 6-13th, 1980, the ''International Congress of Somali Studies'' has been held to discuss developments in the field. The 10th Congress was held in

Djibouti City Djibouti (also called Djibouti City and Jibuti in early Western texts) is the capital city of the Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti. It is located in the coastal Djibouti Region on the Gulf of Tadjoura. Djibouti has a population of around 780,000 ...

in December 2007. The triennial ''Somali Studies Conference'' also brings together some scholars and specialists in Somali studies. As of 2021,

Jigjiga Jijiga (, , ''Jijiga'') is the capital city of Somali Region, Ethiopia. It became the capital of the Somali Region in 1995 after it was moved from Gode. Located in the Fafan Zone with 75 km (37 mi) west of the border with Somali ...

has hosted the 14th ''International'' ''Congress of Somali Studies.''

Award ceremonies

Since the early 1970s, the ''Academy of Somali Studies'' began to hold professional award-winning

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

competitions after having been inspired by the traditional poetry competitions annually held throughout Somalia. The ''Somali Studies Association'' recognizes Somali scholars whose work concerning Somali studies stands out with the ''Musa Galaal award'', a prize named after the Somali polymath

. In 1994, Charles L. Geshekter, Professor of History at

California State University, Chico California State University, Chico (Chico State) is a public university in Chico, California. It was founded in 1887 as one of about 180 "normal schools" founded by state governments in the 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing ...

, created an endowment for this award. Geshekter's mother and Musa Galaal (1914–1980) were friends. A financial prize is also awarded annually.

Prominent Somalist scholars

* Abdillahi Diiriye Guled - Literature and Linguistics * Bogumil Witalis Andrzejewski – linguistics *

Enrico Cerulli Enrico Cerulli (15 February 1898 – 19 August 1988)Enrico Cerulli
''Worldcat''. Retrieved 27 Oct 20 ...

– history and linguistics * Ali Jimale Ahmed – history and linguistics * David D. Laitin – politics and history * Abdi Mohamed Kusow – sociology and anthropology * Abdi Ismail Samatar – geography * Ahmed Ismail Samatar – international relations * Jama Musse Jama –

ethnomathematics In mathematics education, ethnomathematics is the study of the relationship between mathematics and culture. Often associated with "cultures without written expression", it may also be defined as "the mathematics which is practised among identifiab ...

computational linguistics Computational linguistics is an interdisciplinary field concerned with the computational modelling of natural language, as well as the study of appropriate computational approaches to linguistic questions. In general, computational linguistics ...

Harold C. Fleming Harold Crane Fleming (December 23, 1926 – April 29, 2015) was an American anthropologist and historical linguist specializing in the cultures and languages of the Horn of Africa. As an adherent of the Four Field School of American anth ...

– anthropology and linguistics * Kenneth Menkhaus - political science * Ali A. Abdi - anthropology and sociology * Martin Orwin – linguistics *

Mohamed Abdi Mohamed Mohamed Abdi Mohamed (Gandhi) (, ; 1949 – 18 April 2021) was a Somali geologist, anthropologist, historian and politician. He was the former Minister of Defense of Somalia, and the former President of Azania ( Jubbaland). In July 2014, Gan ...

– anthropology * Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi – linguistics * Mohamed Haji Mukhtar – history *

– history and linguistics *

– history and archaeology *

– linguistics and sociology *

Sada Mire Sada Mire (born July 1976) ( Somali: ''Sacda Mire'', Arabic: سعدة ميرة‎) is a Swedish-Somali archaeologist, art historian and presenter from the Arap clan, who is currently a professor of Heritage Studies at University College London. ...

– archaeology and history * Hussein M. Adam – politics and history * Hamdi Sh. Mohamed - Women History

Notes

References

*Proceedings of the First International Congress of Somali Studies, edited by Adam M. Hussein and Charles L. Geshekter. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1992. *Proceedings of the Second International Congress of Somali Studies by T. Labahn, 1984 *Somali Studies: Land of the People by Anita Suleiman, 1991

External links

Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies

SOMALI STUDIES: A Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal for Somali Studies

Somaliland Journal of African Studies (SJAS)

Somali Language and Linguistics: A Bibliography
{{Regional cultural studies Education in Somalia History of Somalia History of Africa Ancient Somalia Culture of Somalia African studies