Markus Virgil Hoehne

For my doctoral thesis, I researched the dynamics of state formation, political orders beyond the state, and political identity in northern Somalia (Somaliland and Puntland). In addition to anthropological works on the region, I drew heavily on theories of political sociology, political anthropology, and conflict research. Between 2008 and 2011, I participated in a project funded by the European Research Council (ERC) on ‘Diasporas for peace in the Horn of Africa’. I focused primarily on diasporic and transnational engagement in higher education in Somaliland. In 2016, I started a new project on forensic anthropology, which looked at mass grave exhumations and reburial ceremonies in northern Somalia in comparison to similar activities in the Peruvian highlands. For this, I also conducted fieldwork in Peru (2016 and 2019). The project addressed general questions of transitional justice after violent conflicts and the role that ‘culture’ plays regarding the perception and impact of forensic anthropological activities in dealing with the violent past. In addition, I have been studying the migration experiences and living conditions of Somalis in Germany for several years. Currently, I am interested in the conditions and long-term effects of military interventions.

Somalia, Horn of Africa, conflict, identity, state formation, transitional justice, migration, borders, applied ethnology, methods and research ethics
Planned:

  • Layers and (un)intended consequences of military interventions in Somalia

Previously:

  • Somalis in Germany
  • Forensic anthropology in cultural context Mass-grave exhumations and memory work in the aftermath of violence in Peru and Somaliland

  • 2003–2004: Political identity and conflict in northern Somalia
  • 2008–2010: Diaspora engagement in higher education in Somaliland;
  • 2011–2014: Conflict dynamics in northern Somalia
  • 2016–2019: Forensic anthropology in Somaliland and Peru
  • 2018-2020: Somalis in Germany
  • 2023: Conflict escalation in northern Somalia