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From Pastoral to State Politics: Traditional Authorities in Northern Somalia

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State Recognition and Democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The concepts of “tradition” and “traditional authority” are complicated because, besides their present use, they also refer to the past. The reference to the past invites invention, redefinition, and reproduction from the contemporary point of view (Kyed and Buur 2006: 21). Nevertheless, when it comes to questions of acceptability and legitimacy, not everything can be manipulated, invented, or imposed (van Dijk and van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal 1999: 2). To understand this point, we have to shed light on the relationship between legitimacy and traditional authority.

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Authors
  1. Markus V. Höhne
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Danish Institute for International Studies, Denmark

    Lars Buur PhD (Senior Researcher and a Research Associate) & Helene Maria Kyed PhD candidate (Senior Researcher and a Research Associate) & 

  2. Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Lars Buur PhD (Senior Researcher and a Research Associate) (Senior Researcher and a Research Associate)

  3. Roskilde University, Denmark

    Helene Maria Kyed PhD candidate

Copyright information

© 2007 Lars Buur and Helene Maria Kyed

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Höhne, M.V. (2007). From Pastoral to State Politics: Traditional Authorities in Northern Somalia. In: Buur, L., Kyed, H.M. (eds) State Recognition and Democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa. Palgrave Studies in Governance, Security, and Development. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230609716_7

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