More specifically, the government tried to realise an overlap between ethnic and territorial boundaries. Ethiopia, april 2005 historical background prehistory and aksum. It is more draconian than the press law in force and sets back the strides made so far in terms of the freedom of the press in ethiopia. The oromo moved north through the southern highlands, bypasssing the sidama on the west, and into the central highlands, where they settled in the center and west on land, some. But beginning from that time the right of selfdetermination up to secession became the organizing principle and raison detre of ethno nationalist organizations that later on formed the government of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia fdre.
Library of congress federal research division country profile. Pdf the right to selfdetermination under the ethiopian. Their sovereignty shall be expressed through their representatives elected in accordance with this constitution and through their direct democratic participation article 9 supremacy of the constitution. Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia jon abbink introduction1 the phenomenon of ethnicity is being declared by many to be the cause of all the problems of africa, especially those of violent conflict. Nationalism, nationality and regionalism in ethiopia c. Understanding contemporary ethiopia seeks to do just that, presenting a measured, detailed and systematic analysis of the main features of this unique country, now building on the foundations of a magical and tumultuous past as it struggles to emerge in the. The conflict of ethnic identity and the language of education policy in contemporary ethiopia teshome g. The italians thought that is the best way to rule ethiopia, since there was and is so much diversity to use as a ground against one another. Its inclusiveness and some implications 54 3 constitutionalism. Bazyler, mj reexamining the doctrine of humanitarian intervention in.
Constitutional perils of ethiopias ethnic federalism. Grounds for groupdifferentiated citizenship rights. He held interviews with key informants, as well as conducted focus group discussions in ambo, waliso, gerar jarso, north shewa, walenchiti, east shewa, arsi and jimma. Yet the constitutions explicit reinstatement of ethnicity in law coincides with a politicoeconomic. Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia free download as pdf file. Jul 28, 2009 ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia volume 41 issue 2 jon abbink skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Draft ethiopia ethnic federalism university of chicago law. Some salient examples are rwanda, burundi and kenya. Of all the possibilities, the italians chose ethnicity and tried to use it as a tool to pound the ethiopians. Making and unmaking of the nationstate and ethnicity in ethiopia 159 even so, the diversity between these groups is impressive. The main change was that the country was divided into nine ethnicallybased states. Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia journal of.
Abbink, jon 1997 ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia, journal of african law 41. More recently in 1988 his much acclaimed work revolutionary ethiopia was published by the cambridge university press. Despite its seeming constitutionalism, the new regime maintains power, which in turn means. It traces its origin to the kingdoms that emerged in the northern highlands in the fourth century. Constitutionalism in its distinctive sense is a modern phenomenon which can be defined only by facing the complexities of defining a constitution. This constitution is an expression of their sovereignty. By emmy godwin irobi may, 2005 introduction nigeria and south africa could be likened to the biblical aaron and moses, who were endowed with the responsibility to bring africa out from the bondage of despair, decline and underdevelopment. Ethiopia has had to forge an identity coterminus with the state. Some new perspectives, held at the african studies.
Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia article pdf available in journal of african law 4102 september 1997 with 862 reads how we measure reads. Rethinking the role of nonstate actors and international development partners in the horn of africa which was held in leiden on wednesday 14 december 2005. Abbink, jon 1997, ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia, in journal of african law, 41, 159174. Pdf ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary. According to the policy of the government of the ethiopian peoples revolutionary democratic front eprdf, ethnic identity is the ideological basis of ethiopias political organization and. Ever since 1991, ethiopia has departed from the old unitary form of state and has been implementing language based federalism.
Actors, power and mobiliza tion under ethnic federalism, is made up of a laconic preface, eight. Ethnicity, democratisation and decentralization in ethiopia 83 the researcher made several field trips to several woredas districts of the oromia region for data collection. The right to selfdetermination under the ethiopian federation. Ethnicity, democratisation and decentralization in. Some problems and prospects of ethnoregional federalism, in journal of contemporary african studies, 24, 3894. Modern constitutional history ethiopias 1994 constitution is a direct result of the government pursuing a policy of ethnic democracy. Law and development, and legal pluralism in ethiopia vii foreword a number of research papers were presented to the conference held on november 1517, 20 under the theme law and development. Ethiopias ancient system of feudal government experienced significant changes under haile selassie i reigned 193074, who carefully grafted onto the traditional governing institutions a weak parliament of appointed and elected legislators, a judiciary with modernized civil and criminal codes and a hierarchy of courts, and an executive. The peoples democratic republic of ethiopia shall, while ae romplishing the national democratic revolution, lay.
The conflict of ethnic identity and the language of. Pdf ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia. The impact of the inclusion of secession clause in the. Constitutionalism, ethnicity and minority rights in africa. The imperial period 1974 ethiopia is the only african state never colonised by a foreign power. Pdf according to the policy of the government of the ethiopian peoples revolutionary democratic front eprdf, ethnic identity is the. Ethnicity, democratisation and decentralization in ethiopia. One might ask, for instance, in what sense historical ethnie identities in the ethiopia of today are re. In contemporary ethiopia a discourse on ethnicity has created so far unseen. Jan abbink have together compiled this web dossier to coincide with the drpnasc conference entitled challenges and prospects of democratization in a zone of conflict.
Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia volume 41 issue 2 jon abbink skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. The changing face of pastoral conflicts in southeastern ethiopia. It was the fourth ethiopian constitution promulgated for the last 65 years. Constitutionalism and human security in the horn of africa proceedings of a confere nce. The contemporary language of ethnicity is usually a political language in disguise.
Ethiopia as historical exception although many outside observers today see ethiopia as a country of famine, war, autocratic rule and internal strife, the horn of africa state has long been regarded as a land of legend and exceptionality. In 2018 ethiopia had the highest number of new internal displacements associated with conflict worldwide. Actors, power and mobilization under ethnic federalism, e. Abbink, jon, ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia. Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia core. The peoples democratic republic of elhiopia is a soverei, state whose territory comprisin, the land. Federalism as a tool of conflict management in ethiopiaan overview, 4 mizan l. Wagaw afroamerican and african studies the university of michiganann arbor introduction this paper examines the current language policy of ethiopia, especially its significance for the educational systems of that country 1. Contemporary perspectives from subsaharan africa morris kiwinda mbondenyi. Another was drafted in 1974 in the early stages of the revolution, but it was ignored and shelved by the derg military council which took over power later that year. Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia pp. A situation and perspective analysis of ethiopia report prepared for the danish ministry of foreign affairs, uppsala 1992.
Published on sep 1, 1997 in journal of african law 0. The reference and ethiopian constitutionalism springerlink. Markakis, federalism and constitutionalism in the horn of africa in. Sarah vaughanis a research consultant and honorary fellow of.
Google scholar abbink, jon 2006, ethnicity and conflict generation in ethiopia. Legal pluralism, traditional justice systems and the role of legal actors in. Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia. An earlier version of this article was presented at the seminar on ethnicity, politics and memory in ethiopia. In the context of ethiopia, the issue of the making and legitimacy of constitutions is no less important. Abate mammo, a demographer, deflated the false sense of demographic reality in his article, population distribution in ethiopia. The new constitution, which is the result of a transition period lasting nine years, affirms in its preamble that the government is determined to eradicate all ethnic division. Challenges and prospects of democratization in the horn of. Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia leiden repository. Jon abbink, ethnicity and constitutionalism in ethiopia, journal of african law, vol. Constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of democracy in ethiopia article pdf available february 2015 with 44,660 reads how we measure reads. So far, ethiopia has conducted two decennial national censusesin 1984 and again in 1994. Pdf ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia jon. Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia.
The first round of analyses includes ethiopia, kenya, burkina faso and mali. Crossclaims with somalis the main struggle between distinct groups within ethiopia over the centuries has been religious rather than ethnic in nature. Overlapping nationalist projects and contested spaces. The politics of cultural pluralism in ethiopia and eritrea. Ethiopia 47 from axum and the ethiopian empire to the dergue 47 th e eprdf, ethnicity, nationalism and religion 50 th e present situation 53 eritrea 54 sudan 57 islam in preindependence sudan 57 independence and the northsouth con. Drivers of ethnic conflict in contemporary ethiopia. Although ethiopia has adopted a new constit ution in 1995 8 and has been trekking on the way to implementing it, the legitimacy of the constitution is not without controversies that surround it.
This struggle has taken a good part of the last century. In a stark contrast to the former close interlinking of ethnicity and constitutionalism, the postgenocide rwandan constitution of 2003 rejects any mention of ethnicity. Abbink, j ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia 412 journal of african law 1997 159174. Ethnicity serves as the foundation for ethiopias political parties and is what motivates the constitutions twotiered federal system.
Abstract theoretical discourse on nationalism and ethnicity has crystallized around three schools of thought. See jon abbink, ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia, 41 j. According to articles 1 and 47 of the constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia, the country is a federation of nine ethnolinguistically divided regional states. Pdf constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of. Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia created date. While the silte are a muslim people, the soddo kistane have been followers of the ethiopian orthodox christianity for centuries. Crossclaims with somalis the main struggle between distinct groups within ethiopia over the centuries has been religious rather than ethnic in.
Jul 23, 20 ethnicity, democratisation and decentralization in ethiopia 83 the researcher made several field trips to several woredas districts of the oromia region for data collection. Accounting for ethnicity and potential ethnic conflict remains the central issue in contemporary african constitutionwriting. Ethiopia since early 2018,7 although many are apparently now subsiding. From ethnography to generative explanation, northeast african studies 73 new series. As a result, all ethiopian ethnic groups more than 80, were. Federalism as a tool of conflict management in ethiopia an overview, 4 mizan l. This chapter aims at providing a general background about the politics of. Dec 11, 2018 abbink, jon 1997, ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia, in journal of african law, 41, 159174. Professor christopher clapham whose studies of ethiopian politics began in the early 1960s was the author of haile selassies government. Much of the history of ethiopia has been dominated by poli tical wars between the two. The planned 2004 census has unfortunately been postponed. Therefore, this study has explained dynamics of ethnicity and ethnic relations since the inception of. Archaeologists have discovered remains of early hominids in ethiopias rift valley, including australopithecus afarensis, or lucy, thought to be 3. As regional powers, history has imposed on them the enormous task of finding solutions to some of the most pressing african concerns.
Sarah vaughanis a research consultant and honorary fellow. Constitutionalism and democratic governance in africa. Nov 09, 2012 the british had a success story in the divide and rule mechanism. Previous studies have invariably explained this widely known and written about problem in terms of religious differences. Hitherto, sidas experience of conducting power analyses has been rather limited. Law and development, and legal pluralism in ethiopia. As noted above, ethnicity played an important part in the creation of the nine regional states. Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporaryethiopia. Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia, in journal of african law.
To the degree that traditionally the political outlook. According to the policy of the government of the ethiopian peoples revolutionary democratic front eprdf, ethnic identity is the ideological basis of ethiopia s political organization and administration and as such has been enshrined in the federal constitution of december 1994. Constitutional history of ethiopia constitutionnet. During the last half a century, ethiopia has witnessed three regimes that differed from each other in ideology, internal composition, ethnic and social policies as well as foreign policy. Jon abbink, ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia, 41 j. Since 1991, the state has unprecedentedly experimented ethnic federalism as a means to accommodate ethnic diversity. Politics and religion in ethiopia a thesis presented to the. On top of further circumscribing the already limited access of journalists under the present press law it also. Ethiopia between constitutional principles and reality.
1019 647 1293 910 272 1196 1500 383 425 1215 113 19 144 1164 918 1480 936 919 876 266 971 1069 1535 1111 224 480 1552 1174 1405 830 525 1187 1089 792 37 558 716 1364 898 1085 83 560