The Shaping of Somali SocietyWhile recurrent drought, war with neighboring Ethiopia, and a staggering refugee crisis have recently propelled the African nation of Somalia into world headlines, remarkably little is known about the history of this East African country. For the first time, Lee Cassanelli makes available a book length study of Somalia's precolonial heritage. A nation of nomads, the Somalis have through long experience adapted to a harsh, semidesert environment. While