Eastern African Literary and Cultural Studies, 2017
This paper aims to provide a review of Ethiopian artist Elias Sime's work and places a detailed d... more This paper aims to provide a review of Ethiopian artist Elias Sime's work and places a detailed discussion of some of his main influences and themes in the context of Africa's perceived position in the global art village. The construct of subversion is explored in relation to Sime's work to provide a rich understanding of what Sime may be communicating through his art, which often seems to be ostensibly apolitical. This article aims to encourage African artists and art critics to build up a significant body of work about our continent's artistic output and thereby make their presence felt both in Africa and across the globe.
Page 1. African Indigenous Knowledge Systems Abebe Zegeye & Maurice Vambe this article, we se... more Page 1. African Indigenous Knowledge Systems Abebe Zegeye & Maurice Vambe this article, we seek to explore theoretical underpinnings of the discourse on African indigenous knowledge systems using ... 329 Page 2. 330 Abebe Zegeye & Maurice Vambe ...
This preface provides a brief introduction to this special issue on contemporary Ethiopia. It hig... more This preface provides a brief introduction to this special issue on contemporary Ethiopia. It highlights the role played by land, ethnicity, federalism, and political ideology in the constitutional development and politics of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian state with its ethnic federation of different ethno-linguistic regions is contextualized. The preface concludes by proposing the thesis that the current constitution of Ethiopia does not contribute to the continuation of Ethiopia as an integrated nation-state; rather it contributes to a loose collection of semi-autonomous warring ethnic regions.
In this work, Courtney Jung argues that when ethnic and racial identities are politically fluid a... more In this work, Courtney Jung argues that when ethnic and racial identities are politically fluid and heterogeneous, as she finds they are in South Africa, ethnic and racial politics will not undermine the peaceful and democratic potential of the government.
(2003). Amulets and Dreams: War Youth and Change in Africa. Social Identities: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp.... more (2003). Amulets and Dreams: War Youth and Change in Africa. Social Identities: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 37-50.
1. Editorial note - Pietro Toggia, Melakou Tegegn and Abebe Zegeye 2. History writing as a state ... more 1. Editorial note - Pietro Toggia, Melakou Tegegn and Abebe Zegeye 2. History writing as a state ideological project in Ethiopia - Pietro Toggia 3. Modernity, Eurocentrism, and radical politics in Ethiopia, 1961-1991 - Teshale Tibebu 4. The Beta Israel and the impossible return - Abebe Zegeye 5. Who is Amhara? - Mackonen Michael 6. A new discourse on 'gender' in Ethiopia - Indrawatie Biseswar 7. An investigation into the maintenance of the Maale language in Ethiopia - Lawrie Barnes and Kobus van Aswegen 8. The EPRDF vis-a'-vis Ethiopia's development challenges - Melakou Tegegn 9. A retrospective observation of Elias Sime - Meskerem Assegued 10. Situated neoliberalism and urban crisis in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Fassil Demissie
The South African Constitution of 1996 makes provision for eleven official languages. Culture and... more The South African Constitution of 1996 makes provision for eleven official languages. Culture and language are seen as the two most important identity parameters in South Africa. However, the abolition of apartheid has introduced a social mobility, erstwhile denied to all, which is shaping new identities. This article examines the history of language policies in South Africa and advocates that in order to implement viable language and/or cultural policies in this country in transition, one needs to first consider the way in which South Africans are using language to express their newly-found identity as citizens of a democracy.
The boundaries of the state - Africa and modernity, Bill Ashcroft Colonial communities in Africa ... more The boundaries of the state - Africa and modernity, Bill Ashcroft Colonial communities in Africa and Asia - toward a comparative history of European identity in 19th century Java and The Cape, Roger Knight Between modernism and memory - the art of the Xu and Khuwe of Schmidtsdrift, Elizabeth Rankin Women resistance and the armed struggle in Southern Africa, Tanya Lyons and Mark Israel The tragedy of Sierre Leone - diamonds, warlords and the failure of the United Nations, David Dorward Democratic revival in Africa - is it sustainable?, S. Saxena Crisis in the union and multi-party democracy in Tanzania, Pal Ahluwalia and Abebe Zegeye Ethnic conflict and the politics of Kenya, Jeff Steeves Uganda - no-party state or one-party state?, Pal Ahluwalia and Abebe Zegeye Collective co-operatives in Zimbabwe 1980-1998, Paul Nursery-Bray Labour and beer in Africa: Xhosa work parties, Patrick McAllister.
Eastern African Literary and Cultural Studies, 2019
Historiography in impossible return This review is not intended to look at this impressive piece ... more Historiography in impossible return This review is not intended to look at this impressive piece of scholarly work through a whole gamut of historiographical lenses. As the book exemplifies a multidisciplinary approach, my aim is to single out the role of historiography in this predominantly sociological research. History, by its very nature, deals with myriad past human accomplishments; but, this does not mean that it cannot contribute to examine and evaluate a wide-range of issues in the contemporary world. This is what the author tries to do. To construct the historical origin, culture, and collective identity of the Beta Israelis, he tapped centuries-old historical records and oral testimonies; by doing so, he has successfully demonstrated the problems the Beta Israelis have faced, and continue to face following their immigration to and settlement in the State of Israel. Proper reading of the past is key to understanding the present. George Orwell rightfully argued: 'He who controls the past, controls the future.' If the writer employed sociological data only, his analysis and inferences would obviously lack the level of insight, depth, and validity as expected. According to the author, 'a social historical approach is adopted because of its capacity to draw from diverse sources of evidence such as from the disciplines of history, linguistics, sociology, oral accounts and transdisciplinary forms of theoretical representations.' Having said this, let us look at the issues in relation to historiography. The first thing one easily observes is the absence of a time frame on the topic of the book. But, it can obviously be understood that there is huge historical data involved in its organization and presentation. The problem appears to have stemmed partly from the time, depth, and the divergent issues the topic tries to tackle. The study is in part a social history with lots of sociological data and analysis. In fact, the author uses historical data back and forth, which makes the narrative time sensitive and chronologically informed. It is an indispensable tool to reconstruct the Beta Israelis' history, including the myths and legends held by them as well as the accounts of foreign travelers who visited them at different times and wrote about their way of life, religious beliefs, and practices. In large measure, the author concentrates on the question of immigration and the various, complex issues of settlement and integration into the State of Israel. Capturing the story, when and how the Ethiopian Jews started their uphill struggle to be admitted as Israeli citizens, lay at the center of his discussion. The way in which the Israeli government finally ventured into a massive air transportation of the Beta Israelis with carefully planned secret operations in the last quarter of the 20th century puts the formal/official acceptance of the entire community into question. Why did the state of Israel engage itself in such massive movement of people surreptitiously? In fact, the author indicated that the 'Israeli Ministry of the Interior has intimated that the This article was originally published with errors. This version has been corrected. Please see Corrigendum (
The post-1991 political dynamics in Ethiopia has been defined by political polarization amidst mu... more The post-1991 political dynamics in Ethiopia has been defined by political polarization amidst multidimensional changes. The political discourse on the federal system and the ethno-national political configuration is stretched between two opposing stances namely the apocalyptic narrative of the opposition and the renaissance narrative of the ruling party. This paper contends that even though the two sides at face value appear different, however, a closer look at both sides reveals that both narratives are harping on the same narrative of invoking fear of disintegration and ethnic mayhem. The difference is one divulges on capitalizing the federal system as recipe for inevitable disaster while the other to have already averted it by instilling a federal system based on Ethno-territorial organization of self-rule. Consequently, the possibility of assessing the multidimensional dyna mics is made to fall between the cracks. Because, the discourse has been truncated to the size of binary ...
Wollo society has long been traditionally known for its unique case of dignified-symbiotic-religi... more Wollo society has long been traditionally known for its unique case of dignified-symbiotic-religiosity (DSR) that characterized Ethiopia as the model of peaceful religious coexistence. After nearly 40 years of secular experience, the tremor of reformist and revivalist religious groups has begun to introduce new religiosity that pose grave challenge and at times intolerance against the traditional religiosity. Tragically, Wollo has come to bear the blunt of the revivalist intolerance, although it has not been the rare case of DSR in the mixed history of religious coexistence, accommodation, and repression. The new religiosity has appeared as a potent force defining social relations and shared experiences of Wollo society: both the public and the private lives. The shared history of the people too is not spared of revivalist victimization narratives and counter narratives: tolerance and forbearance. The demystification of religious tolerance and accommodation has tarnished the DSR of Wollo society and the 40-year-old secular establishment. The historical, social, and physical spaces have come to be symbolic embattled spaces of religious exclusivity projected to the future of new religiosity threatening to end the era of DSR of Wollo Society and the legitimacy of the secular establishment.
Eastern African Literary and Cultural Studies, 2017
This paper aims to provide a review of Ethiopian artist Elias Sime's work and places a detailed d... more This paper aims to provide a review of Ethiopian artist Elias Sime's work and places a detailed discussion of some of his main influences and themes in the context of Africa's perceived position in the global art village. The construct of subversion is explored in relation to Sime's work to provide a rich understanding of what Sime may be communicating through his art, which often seems to be ostensibly apolitical. This article aims to encourage African artists and art critics to build up a significant body of work about our continent's artistic output and thereby make their presence felt both in Africa and across the globe.
Page 1. African Indigenous Knowledge Systems Abebe Zegeye & Maurice Vambe this article, we se... more Page 1. African Indigenous Knowledge Systems Abebe Zegeye & Maurice Vambe this article, we seek to explore theoretical underpinnings of the discourse on African indigenous knowledge systems using ... 329 Page 2. 330 Abebe Zegeye & Maurice Vambe ...
This preface provides a brief introduction to this special issue on contemporary Ethiopia. It hig... more This preface provides a brief introduction to this special issue on contemporary Ethiopia. It highlights the role played by land, ethnicity, federalism, and political ideology in the constitutional development and politics of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian state with its ethnic federation of different ethno-linguistic regions is contextualized. The preface concludes by proposing the thesis that the current constitution of Ethiopia does not contribute to the continuation of Ethiopia as an integrated nation-state; rather it contributes to a loose collection of semi-autonomous warring ethnic regions.
In this work, Courtney Jung argues that when ethnic and racial identities are politically fluid a... more In this work, Courtney Jung argues that when ethnic and racial identities are politically fluid and heterogeneous, as she finds they are in South Africa, ethnic and racial politics will not undermine the peaceful and democratic potential of the government.
(2003). Amulets and Dreams: War Youth and Change in Africa. Social Identities: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp.... more (2003). Amulets and Dreams: War Youth and Change in Africa. Social Identities: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 37-50.
1. Editorial note - Pietro Toggia, Melakou Tegegn and Abebe Zegeye 2. History writing as a state ... more 1. Editorial note - Pietro Toggia, Melakou Tegegn and Abebe Zegeye 2. History writing as a state ideological project in Ethiopia - Pietro Toggia 3. Modernity, Eurocentrism, and radical politics in Ethiopia, 1961-1991 - Teshale Tibebu 4. The Beta Israel and the impossible return - Abebe Zegeye 5. Who is Amhara? - Mackonen Michael 6. A new discourse on 'gender' in Ethiopia - Indrawatie Biseswar 7. An investigation into the maintenance of the Maale language in Ethiopia - Lawrie Barnes and Kobus van Aswegen 8. The EPRDF vis-a'-vis Ethiopia's development challenges - Melakou Tegegn 9. A retrospective observation of Elias Sime - Meskerem Assegued 10. Situated neoliberalism and urban crisis in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Fassil Demissie
The South African Constitution of 1996 makes provision for eleven official languages. Culture and... more The South African Constitution of 1996 makes provision for eleven official languages. Culture and language are seen as the two most important identity parameters in South Africa. However, the abolition of apartheid has introduced a social mobility, erstwhile denied to all, which is shaping new identities. This article examines the history of language policies in South Africa and advocates that in order to implement viable language and/or cultural policies in this country in transition, one needs to first consider the way in which South Africans are using language to express their newly-found identity as citizens of a democracy.
The boundaries of the state - Africa and modernity, Bill Ashcroft Colonial communities in Africa ... more The boundaries of the state - Africa and modernity, Bill Ashcroft Colonial communities in Africa and Asia - toward a comparative history of European identity in 19th century Java and The Cape, Roger Knight Between modernism and memory - the art of the Xu and Khuwe of Schmidtsdrift, Elizabeth Rankin Women resistance and the armed struggle in Southern Africa, Tanya Lyons and Mark Israel The tragedy of Sierre Leone - diamonds, warlords and the failure of the United Nations, David Dorward Democratic revival in Africa - is it sustainable?, S. Saxena Crisis in the union and multi-party democracy in Tanzania, Pal Ahluwalia and Abebe Zegeye Ethnic conflict and the politics of Kenya, Jeff Steeves Uganda - no-party state or one-party state?, Pal Ahluwalia and Abebe Zegeye Collective co-operatives in Zimbabwe 1980-1998, Paul Nursery-Bray Labour and beer in Africa: Xhosa work parties, Patrick McAllister.
Eastern African Literary and Cultural Studies, 2019
Historiography in impossible return This review is not intended to look at this impressive piece ... more Historiography in impossible return This review is not intended to look at this impressive piece of scholarly work through a whole gamut of historiographical lenses. As the book exemplifies a multidisciplinary approach, my aim is to single out the role of historiography in this predominantly sociological research. History, by its very nature, deals with myriad past human accomplishments; but, this does not mean that it cannot contribute to examine and evaluate a wide-range of issues in the contemporary world. This is what the author tries to do. To construct the historical origin, culture, and collective identity of the Beta Israelis, he tapped centuries-old historical records and oral testimonies; by doing so, he has successfully demonstrated the problems the Beta Israelis have faced, and continue to face following their immigration to and settlement in the State of Israel. Proper reading of the past is key to understanding the present. George Orwell rightfully argued: 'He who controls the past, controls the future.' If the writer employed sociological data only, his analysis and inferences would obviously lack the level of insight, depth, and validity as expected. According to the author, 'a social historical approach is adopted because of its capacity to draw from diverse sources of evidence such as from the disciplines of history, linguistics, sociology, oral accounts and transdisciplinary forms of theoretical representations.' Having said this, let us look at the issues in relation to historiography. The first thing one easily observes is the absence of a time frame on the topic of the book. But, it can obviously be understood that there is huge historical data involved in its organization and presentation. The problem appears to have stemmed partly from the time, depth, and the divergent issues the topic tries to tackle. The study is in part a social history with lots of sociological data and analysis. In fact, the author uses historical data back and forth, which makes the narrative time sensitive and chronologically informed. It is an indispensable tool to reconstruct the Beta Israelis' history, including the myths and legends held by them as well as the accounts of foreign travelers who visited them at different times and wrote about their way of life, religious beliefs, and practices. In large measure, the author concentrates on the question of immigration and the various, complex issues of settlement and integration into the State of Israel. Capturing the story, when and how the Ethiopian Jews started their uphill struggle to be admitted as Israeli citizens, lay at the center of his discussion. The way in which the Israeli government finally ventured into a massive air transportation of the Beta Israelis with carefully planned secret operations in the last quarter of the 20th century puts the formal/official acceptance of the entire community into question. Why did the state of Israel engage itself in such massive movement of people surreptitiously? In fact, the author indicated that the 'Israeli Ministry of the Interior has intimated that the This article was originally published with errors. This version has been corrected. Please see Corrigendum (
The post-1991 political dynamics in Ethiopia has been defined by political polarization amidst mu... more The post-1991 political dynamics in Ethiopia has been defined by political polarization amidst multidimensional changes. The political discourse on the federal system and the ethno-national political configuration is stretched between two opposing stances namely the apocalyptic narrative of the opposition and the renaissance narrative of the ruling party. This paper contends that even though the two sides at face value appear different, however, a closer look at both sides reveals that both narratives are harping on the same narrative of invoking fear of disintegration and ethnic mayhem. The difference is one divulges on capitalizing the federal system as recipe for inevitable disaster while the other to have already averted it by instilling a federal system based on Ethno-territorial organization of self-rule. Consequently, the possibility of assessing the multidimensional dyna mics is made to fall between the cracks. Because, the discourse has been truncated to the size of binary ...
Wollo society has long been traditionally known for its unique case of dignified-symbiotic-religi... more Wollo society has long been traditionally known for its unique case of dignified-symbiotic-religiosity (DSR) that characterized Ethiopia as the model of peaceful religious coexistence. After nearly 40 years of secular experience, the tremor of reformist and revivalist religious groups has begun to introduce new religiosity that pose grave challenge and at times intolerance against the traditional religiosity. Tragically, Wollo has come to bear the blunt of the revivalist intolerance, although it has not been the rare case of DSR in the mixed history of religious coexistence, accommodation, and repression. The new religiosity has appeared as a potent force defining social relations and shared experiences of Wollo society: both the public and the private lives. The shared history of the people too is not spared of revivalist victimization narratives and counter narratives: tolerance and forbearance. The demystification of religious tolerance and accommodation has tarnished the DSR of Wollo society and the 40-year-old secular establishment. The historical, social, and physical spaces have come to be symbolic embattled spaces of religious exclusivity projected to the future of new religiosity threatening to end the era of DSR of Wollo Society and the legitimacy of the secular establishment.
Sasinda And Siselapha (still Here): Black Feminist Approaches to Cultural Studies in South Africa's Twenty-Five Years Since 1994, 2021
Sasinda futhi Siselapha is a fearless new interdisciplinary collection of contemporary criticism ... more Sasinda futhi Siselapha is a fearless new interdisciplinary collection of contemporary criticism in the arts and humanities by a group of scholars working on contemporary South Africa. Authors examine the period after the legal end of apartheid across genre and with an eye toward humanistically oriented systematic social scientific approaches to the study of culture. Derilene (Dee) Marco studies the cinematic legacies in the adaptation of Coetzee's Disgrace; Sharlene Khan explores the hateful art criticism that has become the norm in response to Black and women of color artists; Natalia Molebatsi theorizes about the poetry scene and its aesthetics and ethics of healing across generations; Zethu Cakata examines the injuries caused by unenforced post 1994 language policies; Ashraf Jamal analyzes how African is African art and Bhavisha Panchia offers a provocative argument for the use of laughter, humor and play as anticolonial political ethical strategies; Peter Hudson scrutinizes the colonial unconscious reproducing itself through capitalist property relations in the present; and Robert Muponde and Abebe Zegeye write about the legacies of "white writing. Willoughby-Herard links the study of culture to what Barbara Christian famously called the race for theory through interdisciplinary method, rigorous historiography of the making of a range of fields in feminist visual culture studies, and through attention to preeminent theorists in feminist African and African Diaspora Studies. From June Jordan to Sibongile Khumalo to Mary Rahube, poetry, song, fiction, and drama offer us renderings of the meaning of an ongoing and spirit-filled struggle with potential victory.
Uploads
Papers by Abebe Zegeye