Somalia: unable to escape its past? Revisiting the roots of a fractured state and elusive nation

The pretext that Somalis have constituted a ‘nation in search of a state’ has been central to many efforts aimed at reconstructing the Somali polity. Yet, by analysing Somali state-making in the formative years from the end of colonialism to the military coup d’état in 1969, this article shows that the Somali socio-political construct has been much less homogenous and united than frequently depicted. Rather, its inception was marked by institutional and identity fragmentation, which civilian governments have failed to overcome. Arguing for the need of ‘bringing the nation back in’ to approaches to state-making, this article argues that Somalia's early state-making project was hampered by the government's inability to build standardized institutions and forge a common identity.