Said Samatar died

[Safferz]

Allahu naxariisto, I really liked his work.

 

 

Rutgers Mourns Loss of Dr. Said Samatar, Longtime History Professor, Scholar, Authority on Somalia

 

Joint Statement from Chancellor Nancy Cantor, Provost Todd Clear, and Dean Jan Lewis, Faculty of Arts and Sciences

 

It is with deep sadness that we announce that Said S. Samatar, Professor of History, died on Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 24, 2015), two weeks after sustaining injuries in a fall.

 

Dr. Samatar was born in 1943 in the Ogaden, a region of Ethiopia inhabited by Somalis. He spent his childhood as a camel-herder, coming to the United States to study at Goshen College, where he earned his B.A. while working as a welder during the day to support his family. In 1979 he received his Ph.D. in African History from Northwestern University. After teaching at Eastern Kentucky University, he joined the History Department at Rutgers University–Newark in 1981.

 

One of the world’s leading authorities on the history of Somalia, Dr. Samatar was the author of several books, including Oral Poetry and Somali Nationalism: The Case of Sayyid Mahammad 'Abdille Hasan (Cambridge University Press, 1982), and Somalia: Nation in Search of a State (co-authored with David Laitin, Westview Press, 1987). He edited the volume In the Shadow of Conquest: Islam in Colonial Northeast Africa (Red Sea Press, 1992). For the past 25 years Dr. Samatar served as editor of the journal The Horn of Africa. At the time of his death he was working on a book tentatively entitled Fool’s Errand: The Search for a Central Government in Somalia. He published many articles and essays as well and lectured widely, both in the U.S. and abroad.

 

An astute observer of the history and politics of his native region, Dr. Samatar was widely sought after by the media. In 1992, he went to Somalia as a consultant and interpreter for Ted Koppel, the anchor of the ABC news program Nightline. He appeared on the BBC, CBS, and CNN International as well as PBS' The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and he was quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report. Dr. Samatar’s advice was constantly sought and freely given with candor and often with his characteristic sense of humor. The issues were serious and treated so, but, as his colleagues and students well know, Dr. Samatar never failed to see the absurd in the human condition, however painful it may have been at the time. He was a colleague engaged in the affairs of Rutgers and the larger world, a joyful dining companion, an engaging and popular teacher, and a true friend to his colleagues. His is a voice that will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege to know him.

 

Dr. Samatar, a resident of South Orange, is survived by his wife, Lydia Samatar; daughter, Sofia Samatar; son Delmar Samatar, and four grandchildren.

 

The suddenness of this passing might make it especially hard to grapple with this loss. Please remember that we have counseling services available for students, faculty, and staff. Students at Rutgers University - Newark may contact the Counseling Center at 973.353.5805. Employees across Rutgers may contact Rutgers Human Resources/Faculty Staff & Assistance Program at 848.932.3956.

 

Dr. Samatar’s family has asked that contributions in memory of Dr. Said Samatar be made to the Rutgers University Foundation care of Marcel Vaughn-Handy. Please put "in memory of Said Samatar" in the memo section. Checks should be sent to: Rutgers University Foundation, c/o Marcel Vaughn-Handy, 360 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Hill Hall, Room 323, Newark, NJ 07102-1801.

 

The family has informed us that it will not be holding services. The Departments of History and African American and African Studies will host a tribute event; details will be provided once arrangements have been made.

 

In shared sorrow,

 

Nancy Cantor, Chancellor

Todd Clear, Provost

Jan Ellen Lewis, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences

[Mooge]

Big loss. very big.

 

AUN.

[Mooge]

i didn't know he had kids, but here is sofia samatar.

 

[Safferz]

Yes, she's a professor and writer too.

[Khadafi]

I heard the news from a friend Safferz.. He was professional and made the unique somali culture and its huge collective oral litterature available to english speakers. His humble nomadic background as a camel herder as a boy and then a professor in a prestigous university (Rutgers) truly showes that what ever social standing you are born into, you still can make a diffirence with a pure heard and a good education. He has also some what shaped the somali youth diaspora (those 30-40 plus) who wanted a intellectual understanding regarding the culture of pastoral-nomadism, spread of islam in the horn of africa and the urban-city state culture of southern Somalis. I still do rely upon his well written books when making historical references, so my condolances goes to his family and friends. He was also a brave man who intellectualy challenged the well established theory of Lewis regarding somalis being only "nomads". With Said's contribution, the academica has fully accepted his ideas regarding the existense of semi-nomadism and more importantly , the big role that urban city state commmunities had in shaping the collective somali pshyche . He was also one of the few intellectuals who dared to challenge Barre's regime through a well known international media outlet.

 

We lost a great man but his ideas will live on. My personal condoleances goes to his family and friends.

[Holac]

We lost a great mind indeed. Thank you Safferz.

 

Men who sailed out of Somalia under the Mennonite Church's sponsorship in the sixties, (Samatar, Galaydh, Abdi-Sheik Abdi, Togane) all became scholars. Samatar will be greatly missed.

 

Alah unaxariisto Said Samatar.