Competing -Isms in the Horn of Africa: The Rise and Fall of Pan-Ethiopianism and Pan-Somalism

Abstract

Abstract In the 1960s, Africa was heavily influenced by Pan-Africanist ideals promoted by great leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah. At the same time, it was also an era of other great -isms entering the African continent, namely Socialism, Marxism, Pan-Arabism, Pan-Islamism, and regional varieties of Pan-Movements. This article assesses two such pan-movements, namely, Pan-Ethiopianism and Pan-Somalism, which had very explosive and competing characters. This article examines the different historical roots of both movements (Pan-Ethiopianism and Pan-Somalism) and their competing elements. It also analyzes how relevant they are for our understanding of historical developments in the region of the Horn of Africa up until the present day.