Ahmed Ismail Samatar ( so, Axmed Ismaaciil Samatar, ar, أحمد إسماعيل سمتر) is a
Somali writer, professor and former
dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
of the ''Institute for Global Citizenship'' at
Macalester College
Macalester College () is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 2,174 students in the fall of 2018 from 50 U.S. states, four U.S te ...
. He is the editor of ''Bildhaan: An International Journal of
Somali Studies'', and brother of
Abdi Ismail Samatar
Abdi Ismail Samatar ( so, Cabdi Ismaaciil Samatar, ar, عبدي إسماعيل ساماتار) (born 1950) is a Somali scholar, writer and professor of geography.
Personal life
Samatar was born in 1956 in Gabiley in Somaliland. He is the brother ...
, chair of the
geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
department at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
. Samatar joined the
Peace, Unity, and Development Party
The Kulmiye Peace, Unity and Development Party ( so, Xisbiga Kulmiye Nabad, Midnimo iyo Horumarka; ar, حزب التضامن), also known as simply Kulmiye (), is a political party in Somaliland. The party was founded by Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud ...
, the ruling party of the self-declared Republic of
Somaliland
Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...
in June 2016. Samatar is being widely touted as a possible candidate for Somaliland's 2022 presidential elections.
Biography
Ahmed Ismail Samatar was born and raised in the
Gabiley District
Gabiley District ( so, Degmada Gabiley) is a Administrative divisions of Somaliland, district in the Maroodi Jeex province of Somaliland, with its capital in Gabiley.
Demographics
The broader Gabiley District has a total population of 320,430. I ...
, situated in
Somaliland
Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...
. He is the brother of scholar and politician
Abdi Ismail Samatar
Abdi Ismail Samatar ( so, Cabdi Ismaaciil Samatar, ar, عبدي إسماعيل ساماتار) (born 1950) is a Somali scholar, writer and professor of geography.
Personal life
Samatar was born in 1956 in Gabiley in Somaliland. He is the brother ...
. His father Ismail Samatar Mohamed (Dheere) was a businessman and traditional elder, and his mother Haliimo Abdilaahi Kahin is the sister of the late coffee tycoon Mohamed Abdillahi Ogsadey.
Samatar began his early traditional
Islamic schooling (mal'amad qur'an) while he was young. His first
Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...
teacher was Ma'alin Hassan Fahiye. In 1952, he was the first student enrolled in the first Gabiley Primary/intermediate school, where he finished his lower education. His middle and high schools were in Amoud Intermediate and Agricultural secondary school.
After finishing high school, Samatar moved to
Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...
, the capital city of the
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
, where he was accepted as a radio broadcaster at
Radio Mogadishu
Radio Mogadishu ( so, Radio Muqdisho, ar, راديو مقديشو) is the federal government-run radio station of Somalia. in the mid 60s. In the late 60s, Ahmed filled a vacancy at the BBC African service, although was still young. He served as a
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
broadcaster till the mid 70s when he made up his mind to get a higher education. He later moved from London to the United States.
Samatar has lectured at many universities and colleges, including
Cornell
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
,
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
,
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
,
,
Somali National University
Somali National University (SNU) ( so, Jaamacadda Ummadda Soomaaliyeed, ar, الجامعة الوطنية الصومالية, it, Università Nazionale Somala) is a national university in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Its campus grounds w ...
,
Toronto University
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
,
University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...
,
York University
York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...
,
University of Otago
, image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = University clock tower
, motto = la, Sapere aude
, mottoeng = Dare to be wise
, established = 1869; 152 years ago
, type = Public research collegiate u ...
,
University of Hargeisa
The University of Hargeisa ( so, Jaamacadda Hargeysa, ar, جامعة هرجيسا, abbreviated UoH) is a public university located in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland. The institution was founded in 1998. It is the leading and largest higher e ...
and
Wellesley College
Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...
. His expertise is in the areas of global political economy, political and social thought, and Somali affairs. He is the author/editor of five books and over thirty articles.
Additionally, Samatar is the founding editor-in-chief of ''Bildhaan'', one of the international journals of
Somali Studies. He is also the editor of eighteen volumes of ''Macalester International'', a publication of undergraduate education and internationalism.
A Fulbright Fellow, Samatar has been awarded grants by the
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
, the
Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of New York City in the United States, simply known as Mellon Foundation, is a private foundation with five core areas of interest, and endowed with wealth accumulated by Andrew Mellon of the Mellon family of Pitts ...
, the
United States Institute for Peace, the
Heinrich Böll Foundation
The Heinrich Böll Foundation (german: Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung e.V., HBS) is a German, legally independent political foundation. Affiliated with the German Green Party, it was founded in 1997 when three predecessors merged. The foundation was n ...
and the
St. Paul Foundation.
His current research is on two tracks: a collaborative two volumes on leadership and the Somali experience; and globalization and the rise of Islamic consciousness. Since 1994, Samatar has been teaching at
Macalester College
Macalester College () is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 2,174 students in the fall of 2018 from 50 U.S. states, four U.S te ...
, where he is the James Wallace Professor and retired Dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship.
In mid-2012, Samatar ran for political office as one of the potential candidates in Somalia's
2012 presidential elections.
Bibliography
Educational-background
*
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
''
magna cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
'',
University of Wisconsin–La Crosse
The University of Wisconsin–La Crosse (UWL or UW Lax) is a public university in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Established in 1909, it is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. With 9,600 ...
, 1978
*
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
,
University of Denver
The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...
, 1981
*
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...
,
University of Denver
The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...
, 1984
See also
*
Somali Studies
*
Macalester College
Macalester College () is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 2,174 students in the fall of 2018 from 50 U.S. states, four U.S te ...
References↑
1.0 1.1 "Ahmed Samatar , Macalester College , Global Political Economy, African Politics , James Wallace Professor, International Studies, Dean, Institute for Global Citizenship". Works.bepress.com. Retrieved 2 August 2012.↑ Mohamed, Mahmoud (17 August 2012). "Profiles of Somalia's top presidential candidates". Sabahi. Retrieved 21 August 2012.↑ Betsy Salvatore. "International Studies Faculty". Macalester.edu. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
External links
SSIA – Abdisalam Aato Interviews Dr. Ahmed I. SamatarBildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies , Institute for Global Citizenship , Macalester College
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samatar, Ahmed Ismail
Somalian writers
Somalian non-fiction writers
1950 births
Living people
Somalian scholars
Macalester College faculty
University of Denver alumni
American people of Somali descent
People from Maroodi Jeex
Gadabuursi