Abdi Ismail Samatar Explained
Abdi Ismail Samatar (Somali: Cabdi Ismaaciil Samatar, Arabic: عبدي إسماعيل ساماتار) (born 1950) is a Somali scholar, writer and professor of geography.
Personal life
Samatar was born in 1956 in Gabiley in Somaliland. He is the brother of scholar and politician Ahmed Ismail Samatar.[1]
For his tertiary education, Samatar earned an A.B. from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse in 1979. He later obtained a MCRP in Urban/Regional Planning from the Iowa State University in 1981. In 1985, he completed a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.[2]
Samatar is Muslim.[3]
Career
Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, Samatar was a lecturer at the University of Iowa.[2] He later joined the University of Minnesota's faculty, serving as a professor of geography and chair of the institution's geography department.[4]
He has authored several books centered on democracy and development in the Horn of Africa and the developing world.[2] In 2000, his non-fiction work An African Miracle was a finalist for the year's Herskovits Prize.[5]
In Spring 2003, Samatar was the Chair of the Harmonization Committee of the Somali Charter: Somali Reconciliation – Independent Committee.[2]
In 2013–2014, he also served as the President of the African Studies Association. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest or contributor at various international media outlets, including Voice of America, PBS, Al Jazeera, the BBC, Radio France International, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, TV Channel 5 and Somali TV Minneapolis.[2]
On January 30 he was appointed to leader of the election commission to oversee the integrity of the Somalia presidential elections that were held 8 February 2017.[6]
Awards
Samatar has received various awards for his work, including:[2]
- University of Minnesota President's Award for Service, 2018
- University of Minnesota Somali Student Association Award, 2017
- University of Minnesota Outstanding Community Service Award, 2004
- Finalist, Herskovits Award of the African Studies Association for An African Miracle, 2000
- Fulbright Scholar Award, 1993/4 and 1999
- Design Achievement Award in recognition for substantial contribution to the field of Community and Regional Planning, Iowa State University, October 20, 2000
- Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Teaching and Leadership in Community-University Collaboration, University of Minnesota, 1997
- Collegiate Teaching Award, University of Iowa, 1989–90
Professional memberships
Samatar's professional memberships include:[2]
- Editorial Board, African Geographic Review Journal
- Editorial Board, Bildan: Somali Studies Journal
- Member, board of directors of African Studies Association, 2002–2004
- President of African Studies Association, 2013–2014
- Committee member, MacArthur Compton Fellowships
- Graduate Education Policy
Selected works
- Africa’s First Democrats: Somalia’s Aden A. Osman and Abdirazak H. Hussen. Abdi Ismail Samatar, 2016
- The African State: Reconsideration. Samatar, Abdi, Ahmed Samatar, Co-Editor, 2002.
- An African Miracle: State and Class Leadership and Colonial Legacy in Botswana. Samatar, Abdi, Heinemann, 1999.
- "The Dialectics of Piracy in Somalia: the Poor versus the Rich". Samatar, Abdi, Third World Quarterly, December 2010.
- "Faithless Power as Fraticide: Is there an Alternative in Somalia?" Samatar, Abdi, International Journal of Somali Studies, 9 63–81, 2009.
- "Back to the Future". Samatar, Abdi, BBC Focus on Africa Magazine, July–September 34–5, 2008.
- "Debating Somali Identity in a British Tribunal". The BBC Somali Service. Samatar, Abdi, Author, 2007.
- "The Islamic Courts and the Mogadishu Miracle: What comes Next for Somalia". Samatar, Abdi, Review of African political Economy, Fall 2006.
- "The Ethiopian Election of 2005: A Bombshell & Turning Point". Samatar, Abdi, Review of African Political Economy, 104/5, 2005.
- Ethiopian Federalism: Autonomy versus Control in the Somali Region. Samatar, Abdi, Author, 2004.
- Editorial of Somali Reconciliation. Samatar, Abdi, Ahmed Samatar, 2003.
- Somalis as Africa's First Democrats. Samatar, Abdi, Ahmed Samatar, 2002.
- Local Initiatives and Somali Reconstruction. Samatar, Abdi, 2001.
- Social Transformation and Islamic Reinterpretation in Northern Somalia: The Women's Mosque in Gabiley. Samatar, Abdi, 2000.
- Ethnicity and leadership in the making of African state models: Botswana versus Somalia. Samatar, Abdi, 1997.
Notes and References
- News: Maxaa ka Taqaanaa Xubnaha Lagu Sheegay Qaswadayaasha Siyaasadda Soomaaliya iyo Qabiilada ay kasoo jeedaan. April 16, 2015. Xariiradnews. August 21, 2012.
- Web site: Abdi Ismail Samatar. University of Minnesota. April 16, 2015.
- News: Zamir. Javed. Pervasive racial profiling of Muslims in the US. April 16, 2015. Crescent International.
- "Abdi Samatar : Geography : University of Minnesota." Department of Geography : University of Minnesota. University of Minnesota, September 4, 2009. Web. May 27, 2010. http://www.geog.umn.edu/people/profile.php?UID=samat001.
- Book: Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies, Volumes 1–2. 2001. Macalester College, International Studies and Programming. iii.
- News: 9 prominent figures appointed to the election integrity commission. Radio Dalsan. 2017-06-10. en-US.
