The Roots and Routes of Somali Transnational Clan Formations

In normal circumstances clan represents a real or imagined lineage people claim to belong. Among the Somalis such relations remain largely patriarchal. Clans also have both exclusionary and inclusionary mechanism to expand and restrict power relations in the community and in the society.
The social and cultural rules and norms that govern such relationship depend on the context as well as the surrounding socio-political and cultural conditions. Due to the fragmentation of the Somali society since 1991 most Somalis are directly or indirectly linked to a clan for diverse motives- including the need for socio-cultural and socio-political survival of sometimes harsh and complex diasporic environments.