The Gendarmerie’s deliberate clan mixing advanced Somali nationalism

Evidence

The Club’s popularity in the Gendarmerie was no doubt partly due to the fact that at the time some of the most highly educated Somalis served in this force. Another significant factor was that by its very nature this organization composed of Somalis from every clan division, mixed by deliberate policy in even the smallest units, also sought to inculcate a code of loyalty transcending tribal and clan schisms. In these circumstances, reinforced by the gradual tendency of both organizations to acquire a majority of Darod clansmen in their ranks, there is little doubt that the Gendarmerie must be regarded as having played a significant part in the growth of modern Somali nationalism at this stage. — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 335

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Urban merchants led the first steps toward modern Somali nationalism; The Somalia Gendarmerie played a significant part in early Somali nationalism; SYL founders saw Somali unity as achievable by overriding genealogical segmentation (+9 more)

Related

• The Somalia Gendarmerie played a significant part in early Somali nationalism (similarity 0.93)
• Urban merchants led the first steps toward modern Somali nationalism (similarity 0.89)
• SYL founders saw Somali unity as achievable by overriding genealogical segmentation (similarity 0.84)
• Somali clan-families gained new political vitality only under modern party competition (similarity 0.84)
• The Somali Youth League’s four-point programme repudiated clan divisions (similarity 0.83)
• Somali clans rarely united; Gran’s leadership was exceptional. (similarity 0.83)
• Somalis’ clan disunity prevented unified opposition to foreign rule (similarity 0.83)
• Clan segmentation had blocked Somali national unity since the sixteenth century. (similarity 0.82)
• Literacy was framed as a unifying nationalist weapon against clannism (similarity 0.82)
• Somali nationalism burned out and clan divisions violently reasserted themselves (similarity 0.82)
• Somali clan segmentation gave no precedent for national political unity since the sixteenth century (similarity 0.81)
• Ethiopia countered Somali nationalism by buying off clan leaders with higher salaries (similarity 0.81)
• The Dervish army broke with Somali clan organization to build unity (similarity 0.81)
• The collapse of national solidarity reversed a decade of Somali nationalist unity (similarity 0.81)
• Early Somaliland nationalism sought pan-Somali unification within an Islamic frame. (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• Somalis’ clan disunity prevented unified opposition to foreign rule #contradicts (0.70)
• Somali clan maneuvering between rival empires weakened the Somali position #contradicts (0.60)