Somalis have lived in Kenya for generations, in many cases since long before the founding of the country. Yet, Kenyan officials and citizens often perceive them as a dangerous and alien presence, with attendant civil and human rights abuses. In examining the historical precedents, Keren Weitzberg‘s We Do Not Have Borders: Greater Somalia and the Predicaments of Belonging in Kenya (Ohio University Press, 2017) challenges many of the most analytical categories that have traditionally shaped African historiography, thus forging unique inroads into debates over globalization, African sovereignty, the resurgence of religion, and the multiple meanings of being African. Utilizing an exhaustive range of documentary and oral sources, Weitzberg breaks through the narrative of belonging, to include the gray areas of identity as they evolve and change over generations of Somalis living in Kenya.

Erin Freas-Smith, Ph.D can be reached at efreassmith@gmail.com.

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