Peace Clan [Hardcover]

What happens when North American Mennonite Christians arrive in Islamic Somalia? The answer, according to Peter Sensenig, is that something new emerges: a peace clan. From the first schools and medical work in the 1950s up to the educational partnerships of the present day, Somalis and Mennonites formed a surprising friendship that defied conventional labels. Peace Clan is the story of two deeply traditional communities as they encounter change. How can Somalis apply the profound peacemaking resources of their culture and faith in a society fragmented by violence? And how can modernizing Mennonites make sense of their peace convictions in the context of civil war and military intervention? In struggling with these questions over the course of six decades, Somalis and Mennonites held a mirror up to one another. The author shows how the common quest to transform enmity brings out the best in both communities, and suggests what a fruitful partnership might look like in the present challenges. Students, academics, and lay readers alike will find on these pages a compelling invitation to join the peace clan. Peace Clan provides a rare insight into the multifaceted approach to peacebuilding in Somalia over generations of Mennonite-related engagement. Carefully researched, Peter Sensenig provides us with clear descriptions of the processes and on-the-ground experiences embedded in a faith-inspired approach to sustained peace work, and the challenges faced when relationship building across cultures and religions takes seriously an ethic of human dignity and respect. We have few examples of such in-depth, ethnographic explorations of peacebuilding that provide numerous interdisciplinary lenses including theology, ethics, history, and a concern for the practical aspects of transforming conflict in one of the most protracted and difficult terrains of modern-day armed conflict. A wonderful contribution to our wider field. --John Paul Lederach, Professor of International Peal#/