First Advisor

Safia Farole

Term of Graduation

Summer 2026

Date of Publication

8-19-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Political Science

Department

Political Science

Language

English

Subjects

Africa and traditional institutions, African traditional institutions, Maintaining peace in post conflict societies, Somali customary law, Somali traditional institutions, Somali traditional institutions and modern state

Physical Description

1 online resource (v, 113 pages)

Abstract

Under what conditions does customary law contribute to maintaining peace in post-conflict societies? I study this question in the context of Somalia, a country that has lacked an effective central government since the outbreak of civil war in 1991. I argue that in the wake of civil war, traditional systems of government are capable of facilitating peace whereas governance by the modern state apparatus is often an impediment to peace. The underlying mechanisms that I argue explain the effectiveness of a traditional system of governance are that it is 1) in tune with broadly-held societal values, 2) intuitive for citizens to understand, 3) inclusive of different segments of society, and 4) absent of hierarchy. To test my argument, I conduct a comparative analysis of three sub-regions in Somalia: Somaliland, Puntland, and Southern Somalia. Using a qualitative research approach, I use original data from interviews with traditional leaders, alongside secondary documents, reports, and videos and recordings from Somalia. This research will add to our understanding of the role and functions of traditional institutions, which are commonly overlooked in societies grappling with modern state institutions.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Comments

Page numbering is repeated from page 22 - 24.

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/45137

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