Lidwien Kapteijns. Clan Cleansing in Somalia: The Ruinous Legacy of 1991.

Abstract

Somalia is one of the most dangerous and disputed countries in the world, notorious for civil war, piracy, and terrorism. It also possesses, however, a glorious oral literature and a fascinating archaeology which makes it one of the most interesting countries in the world. This combination has produced profound and combative scholarship. It is impossible to be a calm and detached academic expert on Somalia. Somali specialists both love and loathe Somalia—and each other. Every day they are reminded in the world news of Somali atrocities and heroisms. They have to take positions as well as write books and articles. Lidwien Kapteijns has published a great deal on Somali womanhood and Somali song and poetry. Her writings reveal a deep love of Somali culture. She is also a campaigning and committed activist, allied to and loved by some Somalis and hated by others. Tracking her down on the Internet plunges one into a world of controversy almost unparalleled in Africanist scholarship. There is no risk she will not take. Kapteijns relishes debate and here presents a deeply controversial thesis, which she thinks critically important. As the back dusk jacket puts it: “Kapteijns argues that the mutual forgiveness for which politicians often so lightly call is not a feasible proposition as long as the violent acts for which Somalis should forgive each other remain suppressed and undiscussed … Public acknowledgment of the ruinous turn to communal violence is indispensable to social and moral repair and can provide a gateway for the critical memory work required from Somalis on all sides of this multifaceted conflict.”