Books about Somalis, 1960 to 1990: history and research in the Republic years

What these books are

From independence in 1960, history and anthropology of the Somali grew into a field of its own. The Somali Studies International Association was launched in November 1978 and held its first congress in Mogadishu from 6 to 13 July 1980 (Somali studies, Wikipedia; SSIA at Somali National University).

The books of this period fall into a few groups:

• Society and clan. I. M. Lewis's A Pastoral Democracy (1961) became a standard English-language study of northern pastoral society (Internet Archive). His general history has its own page: A Modern History of the Somali.
• Borders and nationalism. Saadia Touval (1963) and John Drysdale (1964) wrote on the drive to unite all Somali territories and the disputes with Ethiopia and Kenya.
• History before colonial rule. Lee Cassanelli's The Shaping of Somali Society (1982) rebuilt the history of the south from oral sources (Internet Archive).
• Language and poetry. Andrzejewski and Lewis's Somali Poetry (1964) and David Laitin's study of the 1972 script decision (1977) (Somali written, 1972).
• The Republic. Laitin and Said Samatar (1987), Ahmed Samatar (1988) and Abdi Samatar (1989) wrote on the state, the economy and the military government. See also The Siad Barre era.

The books, oldest first

A Pastoral Democracy (1961)

Ioan M. Lewis · English

Pastoralism, politics and clan among the northern Somali.

Where to read: Full page on this book · Read free on Internet Archive · HathiTrust · Open Library · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Somali Nationalism (1963)

Saadia Touval · English

International politics and the drive to unite all Somali territories.

Where to read: Read free on Internet Archive · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Somali Poetry: An Introduction (1964)

B. W. Andrzejewski & I. M. Lewis · English

Somali poems with translations and an introduction to forms and poets.

Where to read: Read free on Internet Archive · Find in a library (WorldCat)

The Somali Dispute (1964)

John Drysdale · English

The territorial disputes with Ethiopia and Kenya after 1960.

Where to read: Find in a library (WorldCat)

The Modern History of Somaliland (later A Modern History of the Somali) (1965)

Ioan M. Lewis · English

Standard English-language history from the 19th century, updated in 1980, 2002 and 2003.

Where to read: Full page on this book · Read free on Internet Archive · HathiTrust · Open Library · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Italian Colonialism in Somalia (1966)

Robert L. Hess · English

Italian rule from the 1880s to 1941.

Where to read: Read free on Internet Archive · HathiTrust · Open Library · Find in a library (WorldCat)

L'Italia nel Benadir (1966)

Giuseppina Finazzo · Italian

Italian action on the Banaadir coast in the late 19th century.

Where to read: Open Library · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Heelloy: Modern Poetry and Songs of the Somali (1974 (rev. 1996))

John William Johnson · English

The rise of heello songs and modern poetry from the 1940s.

Where to read: Find in a library (WorldCat)

Historical Dictionary of Somalia (1975)

Margaret Castagno · English

First edition of the reference dictionary of people, places and events (Scarecrow Press).

Where to read: Read free on Internet Archive · Open Library · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience (1977)

David D. Laitin · English

The 1972 decision to write Somali and its political effects.

Where to read: Full page on this book · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Mohamed Abdulle Hassan (1979)

Nicole Lécuyer-Samantar · French

Short biography of the Sayyid in a French series on African figures.

Where to read: Open Library · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Somalia and the World (1980)

Hussein Mohamed Adam (ed.) · English

Proceedings of the international symposium held in Mogadishu in 1979.

Where to read: Open Library · Find in a library (WorldCat)

The Shaping of Somali Society: Reconstructing the History of a Pastoral People, 1600-1900 (1982)

Lee V. Cassanelli · English

Southern Somali history from oral sources: the Ajuran, the Geledi and the Banaadir coast.

Where to read: Full page on this book · Read free on Internet Archive · HathiTrust · Open Library · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Oral Poetry and Somali Nationalism: The Case of Sayyid Mahammad Abdille Hasan (1982)

Said S. Samatar · English

The Sayyid's poetry and how it carried the Dervish movement.

Where to read: Full page on this book · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Somalia: Nation in Search of a State (1987)

David D. Laitin & Said S. Samatar · English

Overview of Somali history, society and the Barre state.

Where to read: Read free on Internet Archive · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Socialist Somalia: Rhetoric and Reality (1988)

Ahmed I. Samatar · English

The Barre government's 'scientific socialism' in practice.

Where to read: Read free on Internet Archive · Open Library · Find in a library (WorldCat)

The State and Rural Transformation in Northern Somalia, 1884-1986 (1989)

Abdi Ismail Samatar · English

Colonial and post-colonial economy of the north.

Where to read: Read free on Internet Archive · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Somalia: A Government at War with Its Own People (1990)

Africa Watch · English

Human rights report on the 1988-1989 war in the north.

Where to read: Find in a library (WorldCat)

Related pages

• Books about Somalis, 1960 to 1990
• Books about Somalis, 1991 to 2005
• Books about Somalis since 2006
• Somali authors and their books
• Books about Somalis: every era