The universal act of dressing―shared by both men and women, young and old, rich and poor, minority and majority―has shaped human interactions, communicated hopes and fears about the future, and embodied what it means to be Somali. Heather Marie Akou mines politics and history in this rich and compelling study of Somali material culture. Akou explores the evolution of Somali folk dress, the role of the Somali government in imposing styles of dress, competing forms of Islamic dress, and changes in Somali fashion in the U.S. With the collapse of the Somali state, Somalis continue a connection with their homeland and community through what they wear every day.

男人和女人、年轻人和老年人、富人和穷人、少数人和多数人都有的普遍穿衣行为塑造了人类的互动，传达了对未来的希望和恐惧，并体现了作为索马里人的意义。希瑟-玛丽-阿库在这本丰富而引人入胜的索马里物质文化研究中挖掘了政治和历史。阿库探讨了索马里民间服饰的演变、索马里政府在强加服饰风格方面的作用、伊斯兰服饰的竞争形式，以及索马里时尚在美国的变化。