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Recovering Stronger: Indonesia’s Economic Diplomacy towards Ethiopia in the Post-pandemic Era

by Iqbal Ramadhan and Silvia Dian Anggraeni Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has brought severe effects on the international trade sector. Many countries have suffered losses because of bilateral and multilateral trade imbalances. Indonesia and its strategic partner, Ethiopia, are among the countries affected by the spread of the pandemic. This article discusses Indonesia’s economic diplomacy […]

Accounting for Unequal Academic Performance: Government and Private School Students in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

by Abdulfetah Mohammed and Mikyas Abera Abstract Parental socioeconomic status, residence, gender, and type of school, among others, have been identified to affect students’ academic performance. This article aims at explaining the effects of cultural, economic, and social capital on the academic performance of students attending government and private preparatory schools in Dire Dawa city, […]

Contesting Images of Womanhood: The Narrative Construction of Gender Relations in Ethiopia

by Tadesse Jaleta Jirata Abstract This article deals with continuities and changes in the conceptualization of womanhood among the Guji-Oromo of Ethiopia. Drawing on adults’ and children’s interpretation of gendered folk narratives, the article discusses the traditional conceptualization of womanhood and the emerging voices that disapprove of it. It argues that adults and children construct contesting […]

Impact of Forest Carbon Sequestration Initiative on Community Assets: The Case of Assisted Natural Regeneration Project in Humbo, Southwestern Ethiopia

by Padmanaban Murugan & Fedaku Israel Abstract This study was aimed at unveiling the impact of a forest carbon sequestration initiative on community level livelihood assets by examining the case of local communities involved in the management of a restored forest in Humbo district of Southwestern Ethiopia. A triangulation of key informant interviews, focus group […]

At Issue: The “Muslims in Ethiopia Complex” and Muslim Identity: The Trilogy of Discourse, Policy, and Identity

by Mukerrem Miftah Abstract The “Muslims in Ethiopia complex” envelops three interrelated fundamental dimensions in the relation between Muslims and Ethiopia. The first is viewing it as a discourse among academics in “Ethiopian Studies.” Utilizing the broader rubric of “Hi/storying,”the present article argues that, except for a few lately emerging counteractive discourses, it has largely […]

Alternative Electoral Systems and the 2005 Ethiopian Parliamentary Electio

by John Ishiyama Abstract What if an alternative set of electoral rules had been used to govern elections when an authoritarian regime introduces its first real competitive elections? Would this alter the trajectory of democratic transition, after the introduction of political competition? In this paper, I conduct a set of electoral simulations with different electoral […]

Contemporary African Film at the 13th Annual Carter Lectures on Africa: Interviews with Filmmaker Salem Mekuria and Film Critic Sheila Petty

by Rebecca Gearhart The University of Florida’s Center for African Studies hosted its thirteenth annual Gwendolen M. Carter Lectures on Africa from March 22-25 on the Florida campus. This year’s conference, “Africa on Film and Video,” was organized by Mark Reid, Associate Professor of English, and featured presentations by film scholars Mbye Cham (Howard University), […]

Gendered Scripts and Declining Soil Fertility in Southern Ethiopia

by Michael Dougherty Abstract Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is a banana-like plant grown throughout the Southern Highlands of Ethiopia as the major staple food crop by many cultural groups. The issue of soil fertility among enset-growing farmers of Sidama, located in the Southern Region of Ethiopia, is embedded within the larger process of how a household […]

Delimitation of the Elastic Ilemi Triangle: Pastoral Conflicts and Official Indifference in the Horn of Africa

by Nene Mburu Abstract This article observes that although scholars have addressed the problem of the inherited colonial boundaries in Africa, there are lacunae in our knowledge of the complexity of demarcating the Kenya-Sudan-Ethiopia tri-junctional point known as the Ilemi Triangle. Apart from being a gateway to an area of Sudan rich in unexplored oil […]

Moral Economy as Emotional Interaction: Food Sharing and Reciprocity in Highland Ethiopia

by Keiichiro Matsumura Abstract In peasant studies, many anthropologists have taken the view that the peasant economy has some salient cultural traits distinct from the rational choice of neoclassical economics. This view has been criticized by political economists as ignoring the process and mechanism of peasants’ economic behavior. This paper examines cases of food sharing in highland […]