The post civil war Somali story has been dominated by approaches that present
essentialized and 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 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.