Somalis and the Class System
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:01 am
Class is very evident with the Somali experience but it’s very often externalised and associated with 'others'. Somalis are known for being egalitarian and this maybe the reason why it’s sidelined.
I suppose the collapse of the Somali state in the late 1980s and early 1990's meant any class structures/social hierarchies were eliminated. In recent times, however, settlement pattern across the Somali peninsula suggest that the mutually opposed ‘urban’ or ‘nomadic’, dichotomy is no longer applicable. In urban and settled areas, you can see the stark differences between the ‘have’ and ‘have nots’. In my travels across Somaliland, Djibouti and Somali Region in Ethiopia, I noticed many interesting social dynamics, not least, class structure in place. All across Somaliland, particularly, in major urban areas, groups associate with their social equivalents. This is no longer determinated by family/tribal ties. Its seems apparent that relative affluence is the new currency of these groups. This creation of class structures is, no doubt, intensified by the Diaspora, who express their class sentiments by their conspicuous and lavish lifestyles.
In the West, perhaps, the concept of Class is expressed differently by Somalis. You will occasionally find many Somalis reverting to the so-called ‘ethnic class/Black Middle Class’ model. This is often expressed by listening to neo-soul music, loitering in Costa/Starbucks with an IPAD2 screaming out for attention or having a liberal arts background.
But surely, class is much more than just money? At least, I’d like to think that’s the case. It entails far more than just income. We should pay particular attention to other factors including ownership of property, cultural consumption, class legacies and education.
What is class to you? How do you define it and how do you express it? In the Somali context but also beyond that.
I suppose the collapse of the Somali state in the late 1980s and early 1990's meant any class structures/social hierarchies were eliminated. In recent times, however, settlement pattern across the Somali peninsula suggest that the mutually opposed ‘urban’ or ‘nomadic’, dichotomy is no longer applicable. In urban and settled areas, you can see the stark differences between the ‘have’ and ‘have nots’. In my travels across Somaliland, Djibouti and Somali Region in Ethiopia, I noticed many interesting social dynamics, not least, class structure in place. All across Somaliland, particularly, in major urban areas, groups associate with their social equivalents. This is no longer determinated by family/tribal ties. Its seems apparent that relative affluence is the new currency of these groups. This creation of class structures is, no doubt, intensified by the Diaspora, who express their class sentiments by their conspicuous and lavish lifestyles.
In the West, perhaps, the concept of Class is expressed differently by Somalis. You will occasionally find many Somalis reverting to the so-called ‘ethnic class/Black Middle Class’ model. This is often expressed by listening to neo-soul music, loitering in Costa/Starbucks with an IPAD2 screaming out for attention or having a liberal arts background.
But surely, class is much more than just money? At least, I’d like to think that’s the case. It entails far more than just income. We should pay particular attention to other factors including ownership of property, cultural consumption, class legacies and education.
What is class to you? How do you define it and how do you express it? In the Somali context but also beyond that.
