Book contents
- Smugglers, Speculators, and the City in the Ethiopia–Somalia Borderlands
- African Studies Series
- Smugglers, Speculators, and the City in the Ethiopia–Somalia Borderlands
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Table
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Urban Borderwork
- 2 Smuggling and Judgment
- 3 Borderland Urbanization
- 4 Connective Borders
- 5 Contraband Urbanity
- 6 Transactional Frontiers
- Conclusion
- References
- Index
- Series page
Conclusion
The Future in a Frontier City
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 March 2025
- Smugglers, Speculators, and the City in the Ethiopia–Somalia Borderlands
- African Studies Series
- Smugglers, Speculators, and the City in the Ethiopia–Somalia Borderlands
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Table
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Urban Borderwork
- 2 Smuggling and Judgment
- 3 Borderland Urbanization
- 4 Connective Borders
- 5 Contraband Urbanity
- 6 Transactional Frontiers
- Conclusion
- References
- Index
- Series page
Summary
In August 2018, ʿAbdi Moḥamoud ʿUmar, president of Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State, was ousted and arrested by federal security forces. ʿAbdi had led an unprecedented decade-long push to securitize the Ethiopia-Somaliland border, to “Ethiopianize” Somalis, and to entice Somali migrants living abroad to return to Ethiopia and collaborate with the regional government. Yet a significant number of those who collaborated with and benefited from the regime also celebrated its downfall. This concluding chapter describes these more recent events as an entry-point to reflecting on the broader implications of the book’s argument that city-making and border-making are deeply intertwined in today’s world. It addresses three specific possible counterarguments, which serve to highlight the themes of the book and link them to broader debates in economic anthropology, border studies, migration studies, and urban studies.
Keywords
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- Chapter
- Information
- Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025