Main Research Tools
In order to conduct the research and gather the data required for this project, I used a number of research tools. First, I engaged in an extensive desk study, reviewing the existing literature, collecting secondary data, and engaging in archival research. In undertaking this exercise, I relied largely on the libraries of the London School of Economics and Political Science and the School of Oriental and African Studies, as well as the British Library, all of which provided valuable material. Furthermore, I assembled as much grey literature on Somalia and Somaliland from international development and non-governmental organizations as I could in order to enhance my knowledge of the empirical terrain, what is generally judged as constituting received wisdom, and identify existing knowledge and analytical gaps.
Second, I complemented this basic research by three research visits to Somaliland. The first took place immediately after my MPhil/Ph.D. upgrade panel in the summer of 2008. Between July 15th and August 13th, I carried out a feasibility study in this de facto state, familiarized myself with the environment and established first contacts that were to facilitate future research. I returned from January 27th to May 4th, 2010. While conducting my own doctoral research, I was also involved in a research project funded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and carried through by the Stanhope Centre for Communications Policy Research. In the capacity of a research team leader, I organized and conducted research into the information and communication ecology of Somaliland, which provided me with valuable insights into aspects of socio-cognitive standardization in Somaliland. The third and final period extended from June 8th to August 12th, 2011. For the greater part of June, I consulted on a project with the Small Arms Survey (SAS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on a ‘youth-at-risk’ project. Being based at the Somali Observatory for Conflict and Violence Prevention (OCVP), this exercise allowed me to enhance my insights into Somaliland’s state trajectory and to expand my network of informants. The subsequent section entitled ‘Challenges in Collecting and Assessing Oral Materials’ provides a fuller and more in-depth discussion of this research tool, which was instrumental and essential in rendering some of the original empirical contributions of this research.
Apart from carrying out interviews, I also collected documentary sources in Somaliland. While archival resources are especially useful for case study construction as they are stable, broad and exact (Yin 2003:86), such an ideal-type situation of archival resources does not exist for either Somalia or Somaliland. Written material and (consistent) statistical data is hard to come by – partly because the respective authorities have insufficient resources for data collection and partly because the region was poorly administered for many years and devastated by repeated conflict; the data I gathered enabled some additional and deeper insight into local and national government policy over time. While the collection of documentary sources and interviews enabled reconstruction of the recent past, primary observation, which constituted a further research tool, allowed for insights into the present.
Whereas the Somali language has a rich oral tradition, it did not gain an orthography until 1972. Therefore, and due to the fact that Somalia was colonized by different imperial powers, Somali spelling is varied. The country’s capital, for example, is spelled Mogadiscio by the Italians, Mogadishu by the English, and Muqdisho by the Somalis. Although having originally intended to standardize the spelling by using Somali spellings in every instance, this quickly became awkward and confusing. Thus, I compromised, using the Somali spelling whenever possible, but using the commonly known spelling for most names and locations. Some of the compromises I have chosen may irritate Somali scholars and language purists alike, and for that, I apologize. When referring to Somali individuals, I will frequently refer to them by using their ‘official’ nickname, marked by guillemets. And when referring to Somali sub-clans and lineages, I will frequently situate them in the greater clan genealogy, so as to facilitate tracking (e.g. Isaaq/Habar Awal/Saad Muse/Jibril Abokor).
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