Constructive Resistance in Somali History

The Wind Before the Rain

Ebba Tellander

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Hardback

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English

Routledge
21 October 2025

Regional studies; African history; Comparative politics; Pressure groups & lobbying; Development economics

Series: Routledge Studies in the Modern History of Africa

In the 1980s, the arrests of a group of teachers, doctors, and other professionals triggered a wave of protests – the first open resistance against Siad Barre’s regime in northern Somalia – helping to pave the way for Somaliland’s self-declaration in 1991. This book provides an extensive analysis of that transformative moment, drawing on over 100 oral histories and archival materials, including trial protocols and political poetry.

This fascinating case study demonstrates how resistance that is constructive, non-violent, and caring can spark collective action and change. In 1981–1982 in northern Somalia, doctors, teachers, and other professionals came together to restore a hospital and to volunteer in schools as acts of resistance towards state oppression. Their arrest sparked the first open street protests against Siad Barre’s dictatorship. It is an inspiring story in which collective acts of care and community mobilization ultimately led to societal change in an oppressive setting, in a region more known for its violence and fragmentation. The book takes the case further by combining theories in innovative ways, providing a compelling account of political socialization and non-violent civil resistance in repressive settings.

Richly supported with 19 illustrations, this important case study will be of interest to researchers working on African history, or politics and resistance studies more broadly. Readers can see a short film developed about the life stories of the Uffo group here: https://positivenegatives.org/story/transform/somaliland/

By: Ebba Tellander
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 590g
ISBN: 9781032884813
ISBN 10: 1032884819
Series: Routledge Studies in the Modern History of Africa
Pages: 218
Publication Date: 21 October 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

1. Introduction: Resistance by Caregiving Professionals 2. Setting The Scene 3. Care, Constructive Resistance and Socialization 4. Uffo’s Past Socialization: Somali Values, National Sentiments and Regime Critical Narratives 5. Uffo’s Relationships of Care 6. Uffo’s Constructive Resistance 7. Student Protests: ‘They Arrested Our Teachers’ 8. Political Poetry: ‘Don’t Be Afraid and Don’t Despair’ 9. Professionals in Early Resistance: Theoretical Insights 10. Concluding Remarks

Ebba Tellander completed her PhD at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Norway, and the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands. Her research has appeared in Foreign Policy Analysis and Citizenship Studies, with forthcoming work in Mobilization. She is affiliated with the Civic Innovation group at ISS and collaborates with Oslo Metropolitan University and researchers at PRIO, among others. She has also co-created an animation and TV programme based on her work.

Reviews for Constructive Resistance in Somali History: The Wind Before the Rain

""Focusing on professionals rather than politicians as agents of social change, Tellander impressively combines oral testimonies, popular poetry, and rich cultural analysis to reconstruct the dramatic story of the 1981 Uffo protests which helped launch Somaliland on its path to independence a decade later. A compelling contribution to the comparative literature on non-violent resistance in the global south!"" Lee Cassanelli, Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania, USA.