Logan Cochrane

Factfulness – Hans Rosling

Hans Rosling passed away in 2017, but his “Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things are Better than You Think” (2018) carries his legacy on. For those familiar with Hans and his work, this is a good summary of a career working to educate. For those unfamiliar with Hans, this […]

Fictions of Feminist Ethnography

Some of the strengths of feminist scholarship and feminist critique have become more widely utilized and adopted, often without recognition of their origins. Intersectionality and positionality are two examples of approaches of this sort. In many ways, Kamala Visweswaran’s book “Fictions of Feminist Ethnography” (1994) is a reflection of the time period of its authoring […]

Tags: #Anthropology #Ethnography #Feminist #Intersectionality #Positionality

Somalia – The Problem Child?

In September of 1977 Mesfin Wolde Mariam published “Somalia: The Problem Child of Africa”, near the outset of the Ogaden War (which lasted from July 1977 to March 1978). As much as I respect Mesfin Wolde Mariam, this is a problematic book. Essentially, Mesfin challenges the claims that Somalis make with regard to their right […]

Tags: #Ethiopia #Mesfin Wolde Mariam #Ogaden #Problem child of Africa #Somalia

The History of Ethiopian – Indian Relations

This may not be the most rigorous of historical books, but given it was published in 1961, in Ethiopia, “Indo-Ethiopian Relations for Centuries” by Muthanna is a unique find. The first 70-odd pages present some rather tenuous linkages between the two areas, and  ome rather bizarre claims that Ethiopians (and Egyptians) are descendants of Indians […]

Tags: #Ethiopia #History #India #Indo-Ethiopian #Relations

Invisible Countries

The “map of the world as we all know today is the product of a series of accidents and historical processes that could just as easily have gone another way” (p. 5). Joshua Keating explores why the countries on the map seem so stable by visiting countries that don’t exist, in one shape or another. […]

Tags: #Invisible countries #Nationhood #Outlier #Stability

Wichale: The Attempt to Establish a Protectorate over Ethiopia

On May 2, 1889, Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia and Count Pietro Antonelli of Italy signed the Treaty of Wichale. Menelik had a relatively long relationship with Italy in his rise to power, and the Italians supported him as he sought to become Emperor. The Treaty of Wichale, according to the Italian version, gave Italy […]

Tags: #Ethiopia #History #Menelik II #Sven Rubenson #Wichale

Can Intervention Work?

Crises call for action. Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Yemen… The international community has responded to countries experiencing crisis in a range of ways, from heavy-handed military action to neglect. Have the activities achieved their objective? And, if not, what might be do differently in responding to crises in the future? This is the […]

Tags: #Development #Humanitarian #International community #Intervention

Ethiopia’s First Land Tenure Study

In 1965, H. S. Mann published “Land Tenure in Chore (Shoa): A Pilot Study” (data collection took place in 1963). It was Ethiopia’s first land tenure study. It is a product of the Haile Sellassie I University, one of the many great publications that emerged during this time period – and which are increasingly difficult […]

Tags: #Ethiopia #Haile Sellassie I University #Land #Land rights #Land Tenure

Ethiopia: Victorious Struggle Against Fascism

The Derg / military government era of Ethiopia (1974-1991) is often glossed over as a terrible period, epitomized by the ‘red terror’ that rooted out any opposition and eliminated it. As a result, while there is much documentation on the atrocities, less is known about the rest of the social, political, ideological and legal aspects. […]

Tags: #Derg #Ethiopia #Fascism #History #Ministry of Information

A History of Modern Ethiopia

Bahru Zewde has penned some excellent books: The Challenge of Democracy from Below (2002), Pioneers of Change (2002) and The Quest for Socialist Utopia (2014). This post covers “A History of Modern Ethiopia 1855-1991” (originally published in 1991, second edition in 2001). Richard Pankhurst, one of the great historians for Ethiopia, described Bahru Zewde as […]

Tags: #Bahru Zewde #Ethiopia #History #Italian legacy #Iyyasu