Book
Al-Shabaab in Somalia (2013) by Stig Jarle Hansen: history and ideology, 2005 to 2012
Al-Shabaab in Somalia: The History and Ideology of a Militant Islamist Group, 2005 to 2012 is a book by the Norwegian scholar Stig Jarle Hansen, published by Hurst in 2013 and updated in 2016. It argues that al-Shabaab is a hybrid organisation combining Somali nationalism with the language of international jihadism, and traces it from its origins through its phases to 2012.
Al-Shabaab in Somalia
- Author
- Stig Jarle Hansen
- Year
- 2013
- Publisher
- Hurst
- Language
- English
- ISBN
- 9781849042505
- Sources
- 10 sources
The book
Al-Shabaab in Somalia: The History and Ideology of a Militant Islamist Group, 2005 to 2012 is by Stig Jarle Hansen, a Norwegian scholar of international relations who had worked in Somalia since 2005, in Mogadishu and other regions (CRASC review). It was published by Hurst in London in 2013 (195 pages), with a paperback edition in 2016 also sold by Oxford University Press (Bokus; Schweitzer).
What it covers
The book runs from al-Shabaab's origins through the phases of its history between 2005 and 2012, including the period of the Islamic Courts and the years when the group controlled much of southern Somalia (AUT library, table of contents). Its central argument is that al-Shabaab is a hybrid organisation that combines a strong strand of Somali nationalism with the rhetoric and obligations of international jihadism (London Review Bookshop). The movement's history is also on Al-Shabaab.
About the author
Hansen is based at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, where he led Norway's master's programme in international relations from 2010 to 2016. He later widened the comparison in Horn, Sahel and Rift: Fault-lines of the African Jihad (Hurst, 2019), which sets al-Shabaab beside groups such as Boko Haram and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and argues that these movements form through the meeting of local and global forces (Hurst; Agenda Bookshop).
How it was received
- The Economist described it as a "succinct and definitive history", according to the publisher's material (Better Read).
- A review published by the Algerian research centre CRASC credited Hansen's long time in the field and the way his work differs from security-focused writing, and noted weaknesses, such as limited treatment of how Salafi Islam became rooted in Somali society (CRASC).
- It was reviewed at the University of Birmingham and, for the 2016 edition, in Political Studies Review (University of Birmingham).
Where to read it
- In a library: WorldCat
Related pages
Sources
- CRASC review · arb.crasc.dz
- Bokus · bokus.com
- Schweitzer · schweitzer-online.de
- AUT library, table of contents · librarysearch.aut.ac.nz
- London Review Bookshop · londonreviewbookshop.co.uk
- Hurst · hurstpublishers.com
- Agenda Bookshop · agendabookshop.com
- Better Read · betterread.com.au
- University of Birmingham · research.birmingham.ac.uk
- WorldCat · search.worldcat.org
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Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
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