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
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
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
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
Semahagn Gashu Abebe’s “The Last Post-Cold War Socialist Federation: Ethnicity, Ideology and Democracy in Ethiopia” (2014) offers a wealth of insight in Ethiopian federalism, with a particular strength of offering depth of constitutional context. Of recent, much has been said of Ethiopia’s “developmental state” approach, less about its “revolutionary democracy”. Semahagn provides useful context on […]
Tags: #Contradictions #Developmental state #Ethiopia #Federalism #Revolutionary democracy
The history department of Haile Sellassie I University published some excellent works, unfortunately many of these books are difficult to find. I came across “King of Kings: Tewodros of Ethiopia” (1966) by Sven Rubenson not too long ago. The book is short, but a treasure trove of insight as well as direction to unconventional sources […]
Tags: #Ethiopia #Ethiopian state #History #Regime change #Tewodros
In back alleys and old book shops in Ethiopia, you can occasionally stumble across old gems. A recent example I found was “The Italo-Ethiopian War (1935-41) Genesis Ordeal Victory”, published by the Ministry of Information in 1975. It is a 28-page pamphlet that includes a large set of images. For a historian, the pamphlet is […]
Call for Submissions: Book Chapters in “Ethiopia: Social, Economic and Political Issues” There have been significant social, economic and political changes in in Ethiopia in recent decades. Healthcare coverage has rapidly expanded but much progress is still needed; access to education has improved but there are questions of quality and employment; macro-economic growth has been […]
Tags: #Call for chapters #Call for papers #Call for submissions #Edited book #Ethiopia
Rural live in Ethiopian history is largely absent in the historical record – historians are able to work with a wealth of material from the long written record in the country, but these tends to only reflect a small segment of society. James McCann’s “From Poverty to Famine in Northeast Ethiopia: A Rural History 1900-1935” […]
John Sorenson’s “Imagining Ethiopia: Struggles for History and Identity in the Horn of Africa” (1993) presents portrayals of Ethiopia – domestic and foreign, historical and present – and in some ways is similar to “Famine and Foreigners” (2010) by Gill. The book is partially about identity, but more about portrayals and perceptions of Ethiopia, Ethiopians, […]