Markus V Hoehne
Biographic Data
| ID | 95614 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Markus V Hoehne |
| GIVEN NAMES | Markus V |
| FAMILY NAME | Hoehne |
| SIGNATURE | HOEHNE M V |
| AFFILIATIONS | Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0979-7186 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 89 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
The Paradox of Progress
This article explores the complex interplay between foreign investments, state-building, and kin-based political structures and conflict in Somaliland. While foreign investments are often viewed as mechanisms to bolster governance and foster economic development, they can also exacerbate existing socio-political tensions. We argue that this has been the case in Somaliland. By tracing the historical and structural shifts in Somaliland’s governance…
Dynamics of Identification and Conflict
Dealing with the dynamics of identification and conflict, this book uses theoretical orientations ranging from political ecology to rational choice theory, interpretive approaches, Marxism and multiscalar analysis. Case studies set in Africa, Europe and Central Asia are grouped in three sections devoted to pastoralism, identity and migration. What connects all of these anthropological explorations is a close focus on processes of identification a…
Balancing inclusion and exclusion among Somali migrants in Germany
We discuss the balancing acts of inclusion and exclusion by analysing how Somali migrants in Germany attempt to manoeuvre between various norms, individual interests and various social networks. Building on Glick Schiller and Caglar (2016), whose work on urban sociabilities emphasizes social relations in which people act as equals, we argue that ethnic (self‐)identification is important as it serves as a basis for boundary‐making and for bonding …
Against the Grain
Inside Al Shabaab. The secret history of Al-Qaeda’s most powerful ally
Harun Maruf and Dan Joseph provide an insightful account of Al-Shabaab, the Somali extremist organization fighting in Somalia and conducting terror attacks in the country and beyond, in the Horn of Africa. The authors embed the group’s history into the larger history of political Islam in Somalia and beyond. They also clearly show Al-Shabaab’s relevance within the global jihadist scene. More specifically, they follow the biographies of several me…
From Identification to Framing and Alignment
We present a comprehensive framework for the comparative analysis of collective identities and corresponding processes of identification, framing, and alignment. Collective identities are defined as activated categories of likeness, distinction, and solidarity, located within any one of a number of possible frames (e.g., nationality, religion, and gender) and aligned series (e.g., national, regional, or local categories of identification). Emphas…
The strategic use of epistemological positions in a power-laden arena
This paper deals with social anthropologists serving as expert witnesses in asylum proceedings in the UK. It argues that it is not a fundamental epistemological divide, but rather massive power differentials that characterise the relationship between social anthropologists and legal practitioners in this context. Within a narrow framework provided by the law, which focuses on ‘true facts’ and ‘objective evidence’, social anthropologists have to p…
The Rupture of Territoriality and the Diminishing Relevance of Cross-cutting Ties in Somalia after 1990
The notion of territoriality has changed in the Somali setting. Once it connoted flexibility and was mainly related to economic survival in a harsh environment; today (2016), after more than two decades of civil war, insecurity and foreign intervention, this notion is more rigid and exclusive. Clearly demarcated territory, inhabited by one group or at least under the control of a dominant group, has become a key political resource in an ongoing p…
Continuities and changes regarding minorities in Somalia
Somali society has long since been considered ethnically homogenous. The better known pastoral-nomadic section of society was perceived as representative. Politics and economy throughout the twentieth century were controlled by 'majority' clan members. 'Minority group' members were generally marginalized and sometimes even oppressed and exploited; during the civil war from 1991 onwards, they became easy victims for majority group militias. Previo…
Resource conflict and militant Islamism in the Golis Mountains in northern Somalia (2006–2013)
The conflict around Galgala, a small town in the Golis Mountains west of Bosaso in northern Somalia, poses the government of Puntland against clan militias and militant Islamists. The conflict was originally over natural resources, but soon turned into a conflict related to the ‘global war on terrorism’. It is additionally complicated due to its location in the contested borderlands between Somaliland and Puntland. The article analyses the effect…
The impact of civil war and state collapse on the roles of Somali women
Somali society can be characterized as patriarchal ‘to the bone’. Despite tremendous political and economic changes in the 20th century, and from colonial to post-colonial rule, the situation of women changed only minimally. In fact, some authors argue that women enjoyed even less independence from male ‘wards’ during the democratic and later revolutionary governments from 1960 to 1991 that were promulgating modernization and gender equality, at …
Limits of hybrid political orders
Hybrid political orders are in the literature discussed as a heuristic tool to understand how power and legitimacy are negotiated in settings where the Western model of the liberal democratic state does not work. Sometimes they are presented as an alternative model for successful statehood, e.g., by combining 'traditional' and 'modern' political institutions. The Republic of Somaliland is frequently presented as functioning hybrid political order…
Getting Somalia Wrong? Faith, war and hope in a shattered state
Mary Harper's book is a very timely account of the major aspects of the protracted Somali crisis. In six chapters plus Introduction and Conclusion, Harper puts across one main argument: Somalia is not entirely failed. There are many aspects of the Somali situation that merit our attention and can be described as hopeful, positive developments. A lot can be learned from ‘the Somali way of doing things’ (p. 2). This contrasts strongly with the nega…
L'État « de facto » du Somaliland
Cet article rend compte de la formation étatique de facto de la République du Somaliland (Corne de l'Afrique), qui a fait sécession de la Somalie effondrée en mai 1991, mais qui manque toujours d'une reconnaissance internationale. Il éclaire les relations entre les décisions et les pratiques quotidiennes des hommes politiques locaux, des autorités traditionnelles, des membres de la diaspora et des gens ordinaires, ainsi que leurs conséquences sou…
Failures of the state failure debate
Much of the current literature on state failure and collapse suffers from serious conceptual flaws. It ignores the variegated types of empirical statehood that exist on the ground, it conflates the absence of a central government with anarchy, it creates an unhelpful distinction between ‘accomplished’ and ‘failed’ states, and it is guided by a teleological belief in the convergence of all nation‐states. Particularly African states figure prominen…
Mimesis and Mimicry in Dynamics of State and Identity Formation in Northern Somalia
In this article, mimesis and mimicry are used as analytical concepts to explore dynamics of state and identity formation in Somaliland and Puntland since the early 1990s. Mimesis captures endeavours to imitate well-established models of social and political organization. Mimicry involves the deceptive imitation of such models in order to reach a certain aim. In the particular setting of northern Somalia, miming and mimicking in state and identity…
Mimesis and Mimicry in Dynamics of State and Identity Formation in Northern Somalia
In this article, mimesis and mimicry are used as analytical concepts to explore dynamics of state and identity formation in Somaliland and Puntland since the early 1990s. Mimesis captures endeavours to imitate well-established models of social and political organization. Mimicry involves the deceptive imitation of such models in order to reach a certain aim. In the particular setting of northern Somalia, miming and mimicking in state and identity…
Limits of hybrid political orders
Hybrid political orders are in the literature discussed as a heuristic tool to understand how power and legitimacy are negotiated in settings where the Western model of the liberal democratic state does not work. Sometimes they are presented as an alternative model for successful statehood, e.g., by combining 'traditional' and 'modern' political institutions. The Republic of Somaliland is frequently presented as functioning hybrid political order…
The Rupture of Territoriality and the Diminishing Relevance of Cross-cutting Ties in Somalia after 1990
The notion of territoriality has changed in the Somali setting. Once it connoted flexibility and was mainly related to economic survival in a harsh environment; today (2016), after more than two decades of civil war, insecurity and foreign intervention, this notion is more rigid and exclusive. Clearly demarcated territory, inhabited by one group or at least under the control of a dominant group, has become a key political resource in an ongoing p…
From Identification to Framing and Alignment
We present a comprehensive framework for the comparative analysis of collective identities and corresponding processes of identification, framing, and alignment. Collective identities are defined as activated categories of likeness, distinction, and solidarity, located within any one of a number of possible frames (e.g., nationality, religion, and gender) and aligned series (e.g., national, regional, or local categories of identification). Emphas…
The impact of civil war and state collapse on the roles of Somali women
Somali society can be characterized as patriarchal ‘to the bone’. Despite tremendous political and economic changes in the 20th century, and from colonial to post-colonial rule, the situation of women changed only minimally. In fact, some authors argue that women enjoyed even less independence from male ‘wards’ during the democratic and later revolutionary governments from 1960 to 1991 that were promulgating modernization and gender equality, at …
Balancing inclusion and exclusion among Somali migrants in Germany
We discuss the balancing acts of inclusion and exclusion by analysing how Somali migrants in Germany attempt to manoeuvre between various norms, individual interests and various social networks. Building on Glick Schiller and Caglar (2016), whose work on urban sociabilities emphasizes social relations in which people act as equals, we argue that ethnic (self‐)identification is important as it serves as a basis for boundary‐making and for bonding …
Continuities and changes regarding minorities in Somalia
Somali society has long since been considered ethnically homogenous. The better known pastoral-nomadic section of society was perceived as representative. Politics and economy throughout the twentieth century were controlled by 'majority' clan members. 'Minority group' members were generally marginalized and sometimes even oppressed and exploited; during the civil war from 1991 onwards, they became easy victims for majority group militias. Previo…
The strategic use of epistemological positions in a power-laden arena
This paper deals with social anthropologists serving as expert witnesses in asylum proceedings in the UK. It argues that it is not a fundamental epistemological divide, but rather massive power differentials that characterise the relationship between social anthropologists and legal practitioners in this context. Within a narrow framework provided by the law, which focuses on ‘true facts’ and ‘objective evidence’, social anthropologists have to p…
Failures of the state failure debate
Much of the current literature on state failure and collapse suffers from serious conceptual flaws. It ignores the variegated types of empirical statehood that exist on the ground, it conflates the absence of a central government with anarchy, it creates an unhelpful distinction between ‘accomplished’ and ‘failed’ states, and it is guided by a teleological belief in the convergence of all nation‐states. Particularly African states figure prominen…
Mimesis and Mimicry in Dynamics of State and Identity Formation in Northern Somalia
In this article, mimesis and mimicry are used as analytical concepts to explore dynamics of state and identity formation in Somaliland and Puntland since the early 1990s. Mimesis captures endeavours to imitate well-established models of social and political organization. Mimicry involves the deceptive imitation of such models in order to reach a certain aim. In the particular setting of northern Somalia, miming and mimicking in state and identity…
L'État « de facto » du Somaliland
Cet article rend compte de la formation étatique de facto de la République du Somaliland (Corne de l'Afrique), qui a fait sécession de la Somalie effondrée en mai 1991, mais qui manque toujours d'une reconnaissance internationale. Il éclaire les relations entre les décisions et les pratiques quotidiennes des hommes politiques locaux, des autorités traditionnelles, des membres de la diaspora et des gens ordinaires, ainsi que leurs conséquences sou…
Getting Somalia Wrong? Faith, war and hope in a shattered state
Mary Harper's book is a very timely account of the major aspects of the protracted Somali crisis. In six chapters plus Introduction and Conclusion, Harper puts across one main argument: Somalia is not entirely failed. There are many aspects of the Somali situation that merit our attention and can be described as hopeful, positive developments. A lot can be learned from ‘the Somali way of doing things’ (p. 2). This contrasts strongly with the nega…
The impact of civil war and state collapse on the roles of Somali women
Somali society can be characterized as patriarchal ‘to the bone’. Despite tremendous political and economic changes in the 20th century, and from colonial to post-colonial rule, the situation of women changed only minimally. In fact, some authors argue that women enjoyed even less independence from male ‘wards’ during the democratic and later revolutionary governments from 1960 to 1991 that were promulgating modernization and gender equality, at …
Limits of hybrid political orders
Hybrid political orders are in the literature discussed as a heuristic tool to understand how power and legitimacy are negotiated in settings where the Western model of the liberal democratic state does not work. Sometimes they are presented as an alternative model for successful statehood, e.g., by combining 'traditional' and 'modern' political institutions. The Republic of Somaliland is frequently presented as functioning hybrid political order…
Resource conflict and militant Islamism in the Golis Mountains in northern Somalia (2006–2013)
The conflict around Galgala, a small town in the Golis Mountains west of Bosaso in northern Somalia, poses the government of Puntland against clan militias and militant Islamists. The conflict was originally over natural resources, but soon turned into a conflict related to the ‘global war on terrorism’. It is additionally complicated due to its location in the contested borderlands between Somaliland and Puntland. The article analyses the effect…
Continuities and changes regarding minorities in Somalia
Somali society has long since been considered ethnically homogenous. The better known pastoral-nomadic section of society was perceived as representative. Politics and economy throughout the twentieth century were controlled by 'majority' clan members. 'Minority group' members were generally marginalized and sometimes even oppressed and exploited; during the civil war from 1991 onwards, they became easy victims for majority group militias. Previo…
The strategic use of epistemological positions in a power-laden arena
This paper deals with social anthropologists serving as expert witnesses in asylum proceedings in the UK. It argues that it is not a fundamental epistemological divide, but rather massive power differentials that characterise the relationship between social anthropologists and legal practitioners in this context. Within a narrow framework provided by the law, which focuses on ‘true facts’ and ‘objective evidence’, social anthropologists have to p…
The Rupture of Territoriality and the Diminishing Relevance of Cross-cutting Ties in Somalia after 1990
The notion of territoriality has changed in the Somali setting. Once it connoted flexibility and was mainly related to economic survival in a harsh environment; today (2016), after more than two decades of civil war, insecurity and foreign intervention, this notion is more rigid and exclusive. Clearly demarcated territory, inhabited by one group or at least under the control of a dominant group, has become a key political resource in an ongoing p…
From Identification to Framing and Alignment
We present a comprehensive framework for the comparative analysis of collective identities and corresponding processes of identification, framing, and alignment. Collective identities are defined as activated categories of likeness, distinction, and solidarity, located within any one of a number of possible frames (e.g., nationality, religion, and gender) and aligned series (e.g., national, regional, or local categories of identification). Emphas…
Against the Grain
Inside Al Shabaab. The secret history of Al-Qaeda’s most powerful ally
Harun Maruf and Dan Joseph provide an insightful account of Al-Shabaab, the Somali extremist organization fighting in Somalia and conducting terror attacks in the country and beyond, in the Horn of Africa. The authors embed the group’s history into the larger history of political Islam in Somalia and beyond. They also clearly show Al-Shabaab’s relevance within the global jihadist scene. More specifically, they follow the biographies of several me…
Balancing inclusion and exclusion among Somali migrants in Germany
We discuss the balancing acts of inclusion and exclusion by analysing how Somali migrants in Germany attempt to manoeuvre between various norms, individual interests and various social networks. Building on Glick Schiller and Caglar (2016), whose work on urban sociabilities emphasizes social relations in which people act as equals, we argue that ethnic (self‐)identification is important as it serves as a basis for boundary‐making and for bonding …
Dynamics of Identification and Conflict
Dealing with the dynamics of identification and conflict, this book uses theoretical orientations ranging from political ecology to rational choice theory, interpretive approaches, Marxism and multiscalar analysis. Case studies set in Africa, Europe and Central Asia are grouped in three sections devoted to pastoralism, identity and migration. What connects all of these anthropological explorations is a close focus on processes of identification a…
The Paradox of Progress
This article explores the complex interplay between foreign investments, state-building, and kin-based political structures and conflict in Somaliland. While foreign investments are often viewed as mechanisms to bolster governance and foster economic development, they can also exacerbate existing socio-political tensions. We argue that this has been the case in Somaliland. By tracing the historical and structural shifts in Somaliland’s governance…
Political science (15 works) · Law (14 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Politics (13 works) · Political Conflict and Governance (9 works) · Somali (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Political economy (8 works) · African history and culture analysis (6 works) · Economics (6 works)