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  • The Politics of Dress in Somali Culture
  • Dorothy V. Smith
Akou, Heather Marie . 2011. The Politics of Dress in Somali Culture. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. 200 pp. $70 (cloth), $24.95 (paper).

The Politics of Dress in Somali Culture is the well-received new book of Indiana University Associate Professor Heather Marie Akou. Its 200 pages include thirty black-and-white illustrations and a 6-inch by 9-inch map.

In an expert description on the back cover of Dr. Akou's book, University of Rhode Island Professor Linda Welters underscores that close studies of non-Western dress are few and far between. African examples are even rarer. This publication therefore contributes immensely to several aspects of mainstream African and diasporic black studies. To a large extent, the worldwide mode of dressing—by men and women, by young and old—has shaped communications and the way that human beings have interacted. In geopolitical and historical contexts, this book embodies what it means to be a Somali or a citizen of Somalia. Historically and politically, Dr. Akou offers useful instructions in Somali material culture.

A symbolic act of presidential candidate Barack Obama in Kenya symbolized the importance of dress. During his visit to Wajir Province, he was close to the Kenya-Somali border. Therefore, it was unsurprising that the elders of his late father's ancestral home dressed him in a traditional Somali outfit, made up of several pieces of white fabric, with a piece of it wrapped across his chest, a second piece wrapped around his lower body, and a third piece wrapped in a turbanlike style around his head. Local and international dignitaries who visit the province get dressed or decorated similarly.

Although outsiders wonder about the fuss that indigenous people make with respect to their clothing and ways of life, other researchers have documented its importance. Fred Myers, for example, in his book Empire of Things, observes how cultural objects "externalize values and meanings embedded in social processes, making them available, visible, or negotiable for further action by subjects" (2001:20).

Readers of The Politics of Dress in Somali Culture should find the six chapters useful and informative. Chapter one is "The Political Symbolism of Dress." Chapter two is "The Origins of Somali Dress: Prehistory to 1800." Chapter three is "A Clash of Civilizations: 1800-1945." Chapter four is "Dressing the Nation: 1945-1991." Chapter 5 is "Dress in a Time of Extreme Change: 1991-2010. Chapter six is "The Relevance of History." A useful appendix discusses stamps issued in Somalia between 1960 and 1980, and there is a glossary of words, copious notes, a bibliography, and an index. Like Professor Welters, whose expert opinion is quoted above, any unbiased reader will conclude that this is an excellent book, written in a style that will benefit readers across the board. To a large extent, it should benefit scholars and students with cross-cultural and African research and historical interests. Above all, the author should be highly commended for her wonderful insights and excellent research skills. [End Page 128]

Dorothy V. Smith
Dillard University

Reference Cited

Myers, Fred. 2001. Empire of Things: Regimes of Value and Material Culture. Santa Fe, N.M.: School of American Research Press.
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