Reconfiguring Postwar Somali Identity: A Critical Study of Violence, Memory, and Social Fragmentation in Links

Abstract

This article critically examines the complex interplay of memory, identity, and political violence in Links authored by Nuruddin Farah. Set in post civil war Mogadishu, the novel portrays the fractured psychological states of individuals and the disintegrating social structures of Somalia. This study highlights how Farah uses narrative fragmentation, psycho social tension, and political disorder to articulate trauma and nationhood. Drawing on postcolonial theory, trauma studies, and the article positions Links as a significant intervention into discourses of African identity, governance collapse, and moral responsibility. The article also evaluates the protagonist’s psychological journey as a metaphorical mapping of contemporary Somali anxieties and collective suffering.