On April 9th, the Sahan Literary Forum & Carleton University’s Institute of African Studies held a reading with long-time Ottawa resident and Somali-Canadian community member, Dr. Hamdi Mohamed on her new book entitled “Gender and the Politics of Nation Building: Reconstructing Somali Women’s History.” The post civil war Somali story has been dominated by approaches that present stereotypical notions of Somali culture and gender relations, and erase women’s lived experiences and agency. Combining theoretical analysis with women’s personal narratives and situating the discussion within the broader framework of Muslim women and the processes of nation building, Dr.Hamdi Mohamed challenges the colonial paradigms that present Somali women as passive victims. She reconstructs Somali women’s experiences and expressions of resistance during 1970s and 1980s, a period of profound social and economic transformations. She also presents Somali women’s long tradition of negotiating social space and of exercising influence.
Dr. Hamdi Mohamed is a social historian with a multidisciplinary skills and experiences in issues of Africa and African Diaspora. Her Ph.D dissertation used archival sources and personal narratives to reconstruct Somali women’s history. Her research and publications focus on gender, forced migration, public policies, and Somali experiences in Canada. The event was well attended by Dr. Hamdi’s close friends and colleagues as well as students and young professionals, who admire and aspire to her academic and professional achievements, and her deep commitment to social development and fair public policies. This was Dr. Hamdi’s first public reading since she launched the book more than two months ago.
Sahan Literary Forum is made up of a group of Somali-Canadian women who love reading. Like our nomadic ancestors who searched for water and greener pastures, we are always in search of good books that feed the imagination and nourish the soul. At this time, our focus is on books written by authors that originate from the Horn of Africa who are writing about that region and also books written about the Horn of Africa. Past guest speakers include Nuruddin Farrah, Debi Goodwin and Nadifa Mohamed.
For more information, contact: [email protected].
Submitted by Ifrah Hassan
