Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Laitin, David D.
- Abstract:
- The David D. Laitin papers contain speeches, notes, writings, correspondence, dissertations, pamphlets, bulletins, serial issues, and other printed matter relating to the history, language, political, and social conditions of Somalia in particular and the Horn of Africa in general.
- Extent:
- 23 manuscript boxes (9.6 Linear Feet)
- Language:
- In English and Somali
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], David D. Laitin papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The David D. Laitin papers include materials collected over decades, from the time Laitin was a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1960s through the 2000s. The materials primarily relate to the history, politics, language, education, and economy of Somalia, with a few documents on Nigeria. Most are in the form of correspondence, speeches and writings, pamphlets of various political groups within the Somali political landscape, bulletins, dissertations, and serial issues. Additional material includes Horn of Africa related topics, such as Ethiopia and Eritrea, and other printed matter. A large portion of the collection was used as research material for Laitin's books and articles, including Politics, Language and Thought: The Somali Experience (University of Chicago Press, 1977), and Somalia: Nation in Search of a State, co-authored with Said Samatar (Westview, 1987).
- Biographical / historical:
-
David D. Laitin was born on June 4, 1945 in Brooklyn, New York. He received his B.A. in political science with high honors from Swarthmore College in 1967, his M.A. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1968, and his Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1974.
Laitin is the James T. Watkins IV and Elise V. Watkins Professor of Political Science at Stanford University. Professor Laitin has also taught at the University of California, Berkeley, University of Chicago, and the University of California, San Diego. He has written many articles, books, and conference papers. His specialty is comparative politics, and he has completed fieldwork in, and is an expert on, the countries of Somalia, Nigeria, Catalonia, Estonia, and France.
- Acquisition information:
- Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 2014.
- Physical location:
- Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
- Terms of access:
-
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], David D. Laitin papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Location of this collection:
-
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford UniversityStanford, CA 94305-6003, US
- Contact:
- (650) 723-3563