Connected: Exploring the extraordinary demand for telecoms services in post-collapse somalia

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13 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this article, I examine the extraordinary demand for telecoms services that lies behind the emergence of Somalia's telecoms industry in the wake of state collapse. I argue that this demand is not only driven by the size of the collapse-induced Somali diaspora and the astounding amount of money they remit each year, but is a reflection of an ethno-national logic that has shaped the ways in which Somalis at home and abroad have dealt with unpredictability in the wake of state collapse - by staying mobile and staying connected. In turn, I conclude that this created an extraordinary demand for telecoms services in post-collapse Somalia for the very reason that telecoms were necessary to adapt and use these culturally and historically informed strategies on a global scale.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)203-223
Number of pages21
JournalMobilities
Volume4
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Connections
  • Failed state
  • Migration
  • Mobility
  • State collapse
  • Telecommunications

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Demography
  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Sociology and Political Science

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