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Ethiopia (African Studies)

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  1. Introduction
  2.  
  3. Ethiopia is perhaps the origin of humankind; it is sub-Saharan Africa’s oldest civilization, the second most populous country in all of Africa, and the world’s most populous landlocked country. Ethiopian governance, which dates back more than 2,000 years, until recently had a close association with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church that began in the 5th century. Muslims and Protestants have increased in percentages and influence in the past several decades. Ethiopia has a long history of highly centralized and autocratic leadership, most of it under kings and emperors. Ethiopia was never colonized, although Italy militarily occupied it from 1936 until 1941. Following the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974, a left-wing military junta led by Mengistu Haile Mariam ruled until 1991. The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front under the leadership of Meles Zenawi deposed the Mengistu government and instituted a policy of ethnic federalism that delegated limited decision-making authority to the regions. Meles died in 2012 and was replaced by Hailemariam Desalegn. Although the government has had regular elections since 1991, opposition political parties often boycott them and routinely charge that they are not free and fair. Ethiopia lacks significant, known natural resources but in the past nine years has experienced an impressive GDP growth rate. The economy is based on agriculture and the service sector. Ethiopia is geographically diverse, with both highland and lowland cultures, and includes some eighty-five different ethnic groups. While Amharic serves as the lingua franca, ethnic tension and ethnic politics are an important component of daily life. In the late 1990s, HIV/AIDS seriously threatened Ethiopian society; international intervention and a belated strong response by the government significantly reduced the problem. Geographically at the center of the troubled Horn of Africa, Ethiopia has borders with Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia/Somaliland, Sudan, and South Sudan. The Horn is one of the most conflict-prone regions of the world, and Ethiopia usually contributes to or is affected by conflict in neighboring countries. Ethiopia is the source of 86 percent of the water reaching the Aswan Dam in Egypt. This has resulted in periodic tension with Egypt and neighboring Sudan over Nile Basin water usage. Ethiopia has one of the strongest, best organized, and most experienced military forces in Africa. It is also an important contributor to UN peacekeeping operations in Africa. Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, hosts the African Union and the UN Economic Commission for Africa, which adds to its influence. See also the separate Oxford Bibliographies article on Eritrea; previously part of Ethiopia, Eritrea split from Ethiopia in 1993 to become an independent state.
  4.  
  5. General Overviews
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  7. Because of its ancient history, large and diverse population, widely varied geography, and relatively large land area, Ethiopia is an especially difficult African country for the outsider to comprehend. The works cited here are primarily general histories or make an unusual effort to incorporate historical antecedents as they analyze some aspect of modern Ethiopia. Two of the authors are Ethiopian: Bahru is a distinguished historian, and Leenco is an Oromo political opposition leader who has been in exile since 1992. The collection of essays Bahru 2012 suggests the variety of issues that have faced Ethiopia for more than a century. Leenco 2004 puts Ethiopia in the context of the Horn of Africa, which is critical to an understanding of the country. Henze 2000 is a straightforward, well-balanced history that could serve as a textbook if supplemented with more recent material. Adejumobi 2007 is a more recent but cursory general history. Markakis 2011 provides a clear and important thesis that has the advantage of being almost up to date. Marcus 1994 is a history through the Mengistu Haile Mariam era. Richard Pankhurst has lived much of his life in Ethiopia and is its most prolific writer; his writings cover a wide variety of topics over many decades, and Pankhurst 1998 pulls together some of the more prominent Ethiopian themes. Van der Stappen 1996 demonstrates the diversity and beauty of Ethiopia; the book encourages readers to take an interest in the country.
  8.  
  9. Adejumobi, Saheed A. The History of Ethiopia. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2007.
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  11. Part of the Greenwood history series of modern nations, this is an introduction to Ethiopia. While it offers a once-over-lightly view, it might serve as a textbook for an undergraduate class.
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  13. Bahru Zewde. Society and State in Ethiopian History: Selected Essays. Los Angeles: Tsehai, 2012.
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  15. Essays in this collection by an emeritus professor of history at Addis Ababa University span a period of thirty-four years and cover Ethiopia’s political, economic, and social history. The essay titled “A Century of Ethiopian Historiography” is especially notable. Most of the essays deal with the 20th century.
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  17. Henze, Paul B. Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia. London: Hurst, 2000.
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  19. A sweeping overview of Ethiopian history from the origins of humankind to the beginning of the 21st century, this account reflects Henze’s extensive travels in Ethiopia and his service at the US Embassy in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
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  21. Leenco Lata. The Horn of Africa as Common Homeland: The State and Self-Determination in the Era of Heightened Globalization. Waterloo, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2004.
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  23. The book analyzes ongoing conflicts and efforts at state-building in the Horn of Africa. It underscores the overlapping nature of these conflicts, the role played by Ethiopia, and the impact of conflict in neighboring countries on Ethiopia.
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  25. Marcus, Harold G. A History of Ethiopia. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994.
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  27. The book offers a cursory analysis of the period leading up to 1855, the year often designated as the beginning of modern Ethiopia. The emphasis is on the post-1855 era and especially the reigns of Menelik, Haile Selassie, and Mengistu Haile Mariam.
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  29. Markakis, John. Ethiopia: The Last Two Frontiers. Woodbridge, UK: James Currey, 2011.
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  31. Written by a political historian, the book focuses on two challenges facing a multicultural empire that is trying to become a modern nation-state. The first is the monopoly of power inherited from the ruling class of Abyssinian highlanders. The second is the arid lowlands on the margins of Ethiopia, where opposition to integration is greatest.
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  33. Pankhurst, Richard. The Ethiopians. Oxford: Blackwell, 1998.
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  35. Singling out key topical issues in Ethiopian history, the book begins with prehistory and moves to the position of Ethiopia in biblical times. It covers the major dynasties and the roles of religion, culture, and the economy in Ethiopian history.
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  37. Van der Stappen, Xavier, ed. Aethiopia: Peuples d’Éthiopie. Tervuren, Belgium: Musée Royal de l’Afrique Central, 1996.
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  39. Many experts contributed to this oversize and well-illustrated volume, which covers geography, human origins, agriculture, history, religion, ethnic groups, and the arts. While the contributions are eclectic and omit some key aspects of Ethiopian history and society, the illustrations are a wonderful addition.
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  41. Bibliographies
  42.  
  43. Because of Ethiopia’s long history and the numerous published accounts about it in several languages, there are many bibliographies on Ethiopian issues. Most of them are highly specialized. A comprehensive and current list of bibliographies about Ethiopia is available on pages 451–461 of Shinn and Ofcansky 2013 (cited under Reference Works). The bibliographies cited below tend to be of a more general nature, although Abbink 2003 only contains works on Christianity and Ofcansky and Wondimu 2013 deals primarily with military-related matters. Tvedt 2004 is the most complete bibliography for all issues concerning the Nile Basin, which has an important impact on Ethiopia and where Ethiopia interacts with the downstream Nile River countries Sudan and Egypt. Most citations are annotated. Abbink 1991 and Marcus 1972 are especially valuable because of the large number of non-English-language works cited. Abbink covers only material published from 1957 through 1990. Abbink is more user-friendly and current than Marcus but provides no annotations. Alula and Dessalegn 1976 is most useful for researchers working only in English; the book has no annotations. Milkias 1989 is well organized and is the most comprehensive bibliography, but does not contain annotations. Persons interested in specialized topics about Ethiopia should refer to the lists of other bibliographies in most of these works.
  44.  
  45. Abbink, Jon. Ethiopian Society and History: A Bibliography of Ethiopian Studies 1957–1990. Leiden, The Netherlands: African Studies Centre, 1991.
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  47. A wide-ranging work, it includes bibliographies, travel accounts, history, culture, politics, peasantry, economy, social structure, famine, international relations, conflict, education, health, medicine, folklore, music, arts, and religion. It has an especially strong section on ethnic groups.
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  49. Abbink, Jon. A Bibliography on Christianity in Ethiopia. Leiden, The Netherlands: African Studies Centre, 2003.
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  51. This is an extensive bibliography with entries in multiple languages covering forty years of writing on history, Christian texts and manuscripts, and Ethiopian Christian art and architecture. The primary focus is the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
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  53. Alula Hidaru, and Dessalegn Rahmato, eds. A Short Guide to the Study of Ethiopia: A General Bibliography. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1976.
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  55. The entries are confined almost entirely to English-language sources and are aimed at the general reader. The book includes Ethiopian sources in English, bibliographies on Ethiopia, history, politics, culture, ethnography, economics, natural resources, health, religion, language, and education.
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  57. Marcus, Harold G. The Modern History of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa: A Select and Annotated Bibliography. Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution, 1972.
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  59. This extensive work has relatively few English-language publications. Most are in French, Italian, German, and Russian. It is difficult to use, as the citations are organized alphabetically by nationality of author.
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  61. Milkias, Paulos. Ethiopia: A Comprehensive Bibliography. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1989.
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  63. A massive project, the bibliography includes materials published in English, Amharic, Tigrinya, Afan Oromo, German, Italian, French, Russian, Greek, Dutch, and Swedish. Its most important contribution is the addition of thousands of transliterated Amharic texts that were not previously available. It includes all aspects of Ethiopian life.
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  65. Ofcansky, Thomas P., and Elias Wondimu. A Military Bibliography of the Horn of Africa. Los Angeles: Tsehai, 2013.
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  67. There are sections on the Horn of Africa, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia (by far the longest), Somalia, and Sudan. The section on Ethiopia is subdivided into Anglo-Abyssinian War, arms trafficking, Battle of Adwa, Ethiopian-Egyptian conflicts, Ethiopia-Somalia, Ethiopia-Sudan, Ethiopia-UK, Ethiopia-US, Haile Selassie era, Italian-Ethiopian war, Mengistu Haile Mariam era, and Meles Zenawi era.
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  69. Tvedt, Terje. The Nile: An Annotated Bibliography. 2d ed. London: I.B. Tauris, 2004.
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  71. While it covers the entire Nile Basin, many of the citations are relevant to Ethiopia. It is divided according to fisheries, flora and fauna, health, physical characteristics, political and cultural history, projects and reports, travel and exploration, and water use and management.
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  73. Reference Works
  74.  
  75. Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia provides online the most detailed statistical data about Ethiopia. A case in point is Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey 2011, which concentrates on health and social issues. The website is not, however, designed for easy identification of material and can be frustratingly slow. Nevertheless, it is the only place to find certain kinds of statistical information. Summary and Statistical Report of the 2007 Population and Housing Census provides essential information for researchers based on the most recent census, in 2007. While certain groups have complained about some of the data in the census, such as the percentages of Muslims and Christians in Ethiopia, it generally seems to be professionally done. In any event, it is the most reliable source of information available on those topics that it surveyed. Shinn and Ofcansky 2013 is part of a long-standing series of historical dictionaries. It is designed for the general reader and persons who plan to spend any significant amount of time in Ethiopia. It follows a well-established format that allows for easy access to desired information. It also has the most comprehensive, current bibliography for Ethiopia. Uhlig 2003–2010 is the gold standard of encyclopedias and is intended for the specialist on Ethiopia. It uses a highly consistent but complex transliteration system for Ge’ez, Arabic, and Sabaic, which may be confusing for the general reader who is familiar with more common English-language spellings of names and places.
  76.  
  77. Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia.
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  79. While this website in English contains a wealth of useful statistical data about Ethiopia, it is difficult to negotiate and the material seems to migrate with annoying frequency.
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  81. Ethiopia. Summary and Statistical Report of the 2007 Population and Housing Census. Addis Ababa: Population Census Commission, 2008.
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  83. This is a summary of Ethiopia’s most recent census. It contains information on population size by region, age, sex, ethnic group, and religion. It also has data pertaining to literacy, education, marital status, economic activity, migration, and housing.
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  85. Ethiopia. Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey 2011. Addis Ababa: Central Statistical Agency, 2012.
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  87. A massive data collection on household characteristics, marriage and sexual activity, fertility levels and preferences, family planning, infant and child mortality, maternal and child health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, adult mortality, and women’s empowerment and health.
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  89. Shinn, David H., and Thomas P. Ofcansky. Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia. 2d ed. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2013.
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  91. This book contains an introductory essay, chronology of events, alphabetized biographical and topical entries on both historical and current issues, and lengthy bibliography. It is popular with libraries.
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  93. Uhlig, Siegbert, ed. Encyclopaedia Aethiopica. 4 vols. Wiesbaden, Germany: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2003–2010.
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  95. This is a huge project involving contributions by hundreds of experts from some thirty countries; it was supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. It covers every aspect of Ethiopia and much of Eritrea. The volumes were published in alphabetical order; for example, volume 1 contains entries for letters A through C. Volume 5, the last in the series, has not yet been published.
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  97. Journals
  98.  
  99. There is a surprising array of specialized journals focused on Ethiopia, many of them now published by African Journals Online. This section includes only two of the latter: Ethiopian Journal of Economics and Ethiopian Journal of the Social Sciences and Humanities. They include articles of interest to both generalist and specialist. Aethiopica, Annales d’Éthiopie, and Journal of Ethiopian Studies are primarily intended for the specialist. The Journal of Oromo Studies appeals particularly to those who have a special interest in the Oromo ethnic group. The International Journal of Ethiopian Studies and Northeast African Studies contain material that should attract both generalists and specialists. All of the articles in these two journals are in English.
  100.  
  101. Aethiopica: International Journal of Ethiopian and Eritrean Studies. 1998–.
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  103. Published in Hamburg by the Hamburg University Press since 1998, Aethiopica contains an eclectic mix of material by specialists, some of it esoteric, on Ethiopia and Eritrea.
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  105. Annales d’Éthiopie. 1955–.
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  107. Published in Paris from 1955 to 1990 and since 2000 by the French Center for Ethiopian Studies and Authority for Research and Conservation of the Cultural Heritage, the journal publishes articles primarily in French and a few in English. It has a history of emphasizing paleontological and archaeological research but has added ethnology, history, economics, and political issues.
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  109. Ethiopian Journal of Economics. 1992–.
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  111. Published by African Journals Online since 1992, it draws heavily on research by African economists. Most of the articles deal with Ethiopia, but some pertain to other parts of Africa.
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  113. Ethiopian Journal of the Social Sciences and Humanities. 2003–.
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  115. Published by African Journals Online since 2003, it covers a wide range of topics, some narrow in scope and others general. Most of them are written by Ethiopian scholars about Ethiopian issues.
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  117. International Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 2004–.
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  119. Published since 2004 in Los Angeles by Tsehai Publishers, most contributors are Ethiopians in Ethiopia or the diaspora and international scholars. The articles deal with a wide variety of Ethiopian issues and a few not concerning Ethiopia.
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  121. Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 1963–.
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  123. Published by the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at Addis Ababa University since 1963, most articles are by experts on Ethiopia. The topics vary widely; articles are in English or Amharic.
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  125. Journal of Oromo Studies. 1993–.
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  127. Published by the US-based Oromo Studies Association since 1993, the journal emphasizes material of special interest to the Oromo ethnic community in Ethiopia and the Oromo diaspora.
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  129. Northeast African Studies. 1994–.
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  131. Published from 1994 through 2004 and since 2012 by the Michigan State University Press in East Lansing, the journal includes articles on all of the countries in the Horn of Africa but has numerous contributions concerning Ethiopia.
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  133. Narrative Accounts
  134.  
  135. Ethiopian imperial history has a rich and revered history, which some describe as legend. The Kebra Nagast (Brooks 1995) and The Ethiopian Royal Chronicles (Pankhurst 1967) exemplify this tradition. Hancock 1992 popularized the legend of the Ark of the Covenant, while Munro-Hay 2006 is a well-researched piece of scholarship that challenges the myths surrounding the legend. There are hundreds of early accounts in numerous languages of travel to Abyssinia, the name often applied to the Ethiopian highlands before Ethiopia became the preferred name; Bruce 2003 and Salt 1967 are two of the best known. They also represent different interpretations of what they observed in Abyssinia. Graham 2001, written with flair and panache, brings these historical travel accounts of Ethiopia up to date.
  136.  
  137. Brooks, Miguel F., ed. A Modern Translation of the Kebra Nagast (The Glory of Kings). Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea, 1995.
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  139. Translated from ancient Ethiopian Ge’ez, the Kebra Nagast asserts that the kings of Ethiopia were descended from Menelik (son of Solomon by the Queen of Sheba) and were of divine origin, and their words and deeds were those of gods.
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  141. Bruce, James. Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, in the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773. Boston: Elibron Classics, 2003.
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  143. Bruce’s accounts, which included Abyssinian history and culture, were met initially in London explorer circles with considerable skepticism, including from Henry Salt in 1814 (Salt 1967). Subsequent explorers to the region largely confirmed the accuracy of Bruce’s writings. Replica of 1790 edition published in Edinburgh (freely available online).
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  145. Graham, John. Ethiopia: Off the Beaten Trail. Addis Ababa: Shama, 2001.
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  147. An experienced traveler in Ethiopia, Graham offers a relatively recent look at all corners of Ethiopia. Designed for the serious visitor, he provides an enthusiastic account of the treasures of Ethiopia.
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  149. Hancock, Graham. The Sign and the Seal. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1992.
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  151. The author claims to have written the true story behind the Lost Ark of the Covenant, where it is today, how it got there, and why it remains hidden. This is a highly readable combination of scholarship and adventure yarn.
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  153. Munro-Hay, Stuart. The Quest for the Ark of the Covenant: The True History of the Tablets of Moses. London: I.B. Tauris, 2006.
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  155. One of the foremost authorities on Ethiopian history and culture, the author does not accept the view that the Arc of the Covenant resides in Ethiopia.
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  157. Pankhurst, Richard, ed. The Ethiopian Royal Chronicles. Addis Ababa: Oxford University Press, 1967.
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  159. The chronicles begin with the Emperor of Aksum, Ezana, in the 4th century and continue through Menelik II, emperor of Ethiopia until 1913. In most cases, the chronicles perpetuated and glorified the memory of the ruler for whom they were written. They became an integral component of imperial Ethiopian history.
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  161. Salt, Henry. A Voyage to Abyssinia and Travels into the Interior of That Country. London: Frank Cass, 1967.
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  163. Reprint of 1814 original edition (1816 edition freely available online). Beginning on the Red Sea coast at Massawa, Salt travelled throughout most of highland Ethiopia in 1809 and 1810 before returning to Massawa. Copies of paintings made based on his travels remain popular in Ethiopia to the present day.
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  165. Cradle of Humankind
  166.  
  167. Tim White and Donald Johanson led two of the best-known teams of paleoanthropologists working on the origins of early humankind in Ethiopia. Professional competitors, both teams include numerous Ethiopian scholars and have produced an extraordinary body of work, much of it in the form of scientific articles. Johanson and Edey 1981 and Johanson and Edgar 1996 summarize their discoveries in Ethiopia. Both volumes are appropriate for the generalist and the specialist alike. White, et al. 2003 is a highly technical article on the origin of anatomically modern Homo sapiens. Gilbert and Berhane 2009 and Yohannes and Giday 2009 pull together the research in Ethiopia’s Middle Awash in which White participated. Both books are designed for the specialist. Kalb 2001 captures the competition between White and Johanson and demonstrates how science is shaped by both the search for truth and the demands of politics, the media, and money. It is aimed at the generalist.
  168.  
  169. Gilbert, Henry W., and Berhane Asfaw, eds. Homo erectus: Pleistocene Evidence from the Middle Awash, Ethiopia. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009.
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  171. This volume is devoted to the study of Homo erectus, a close relative of Homo sapiens, in the Middle Awash Valley of Ethiopia.
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  173. Johanson, Donald, and Maitland Edey. Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1981.
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  175. This is the story of the discovery of the 3.2- to 3.5-million-year-old partial skeleton in the Afar Region of Ethiopia in 1974. Named Lucy, it is the oldest, most complete, and best-preserved skeleton of any erect-walking human ancestor.
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  177. Johanson, Donald, and Blake Edgar. From Lucy to Language. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996.
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  179. A well-illustrated oversize volume, the book documents the timeline globally between bipedalism and human language. Some of the book is based on Johanson’s field work in Ethiopia.
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  181. Kalb, Jon. Adventures in the Bone Trade: The Race to Discover Human Ancestors in Ethiopia’s Afar Depression. New York: Copernicus, 2001.
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  183. The author is a geologist and paleontologist who studied Ethiopia’s Afar Depression for thirty years. While the focus of the book is on competition over the discovery of the origins of humankind, it also deals with geology and politics.
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  185. White, Tim D., Berhane Asfaw, David DeGusta, et al. “Pleistocene Homo sapiens from Middle Awash, Ethiopia.” Nature 423 (2003): 742–747.
  186. DOI: 10.1038/nature01669Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  187. The article describes fossilized hominid crania from Herto, Middle Awash, Ethiopia, which fills the gap between 100,000 and 300,000 years ago and provides evidence on the location, timing, and contextual circumstances of the emergence of Homo sapiens.
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  189. Yohannes Haile-Selassie, and Giday WoldeGabriel, eds. Ardipithecus kadabba: Late Miocene Evidence from the Middle Awash, Ethiopia. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009.
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  191. This work contains the definitive description of the geological context and paleoenvironment of the early hominid Ardipithecus kadabba. It opens a new window on the evolution of mammals and African fauna, and on their environments.
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  193. Antiquities and Early Imperial History
  194.  
  195. Ethiopia has the most impressive collection of physical structures from early civilizations of any country in sub-Saharan Africa. The works cited here should assist both generalist and specialist. Finneran 2007 could also serve as a text. Munro-Hay 1991 and Phillipson 2012 are the most specialized of the group and are primarily relevant to persons with an interest in Aksum. Munro-Hay 2002 is the most general work and should appeal to the casual visitor to Ethiopia who wants to learn broadly about its antiquity. While Phillipson 1998 is of interest to the generalist, architects will find it especially valuable. Books in the section General Overviews discuss the historical background of these antiquities. Derat 2003 picks up the history in 1270 with an analysis of the Solomonid dynasty until 1527. Abir 1968 then examines the Era of the Princes from 1769 until 1855, a period which Abir argues serves as the true roots of modern Ethiopia.
  196.  
  197. Abir, Mordechai. Ethiopia: The Era of the Princes: The Challenge of Islam and the Re-unification of the Christian Empire 1769–1855. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1968.
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  199. The author documents the period when Ethiopia underwent a process of disintegration and central authorities lost their power to warlords who fought each other for supremacy in the provinces.
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  201. Derat, Marie-Laure. Le Domaine des rois éthiopiens, 1270–1527: Espace, pouvoir et monachisme. Paris: Publications de la Sorbonne, 2003.
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  203. Following the Islamic conquest of parts of Ethiopia, the author describes the structure beginning in 1270 of the rule of Ethiopian Christian kings until 1527.
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  205. Finneran, Niall. The Archaeology of Ethiopia. London: Routledge, 2007.
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  207. Covering a wide span of time from Lucy through Aksum, the book discusses medieval and post-medieval archaeology in Ethiopia. This includes Lalibela, Islamic influences, medieval Ethiopian monasticism, and heritage management.
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  209. Munro-Hay, Stuart. Aksum: An African Civilisation of Late Antiquity. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1991.
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  211. The book examines the features of the Aksum civilization, its unique architecture, artistic life, material culture, history, and religion. It reviews the problems of Aksumite studies and includes a thorough bibliography of Aksumite works.
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  213. Munro-Hay, Stuart. Ethiopia: The Unknown Land: A Cultural and Historical Guide. London: I.B. Tauris, 2002.
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  215. An authoritative guide to Ethiopia’s architecture, geography, peoples, art, and history, it includes Gondar, Harar, Lalibela, Aksum, Debra Damo, Yeha, and the rock churches in several regions.
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  217. Phillipson, David W. Ancient Ethiopia: Aksum, Its Antecedents and Successors. London: British Museum, 1998.
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  219. While the focus of this work is on the Aksumite civilization, it discusses Ethiopia before Aksum and Christian Ethiopia after Aksum. It is well illustrated with architectural drawings and photos.
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  221. Phillipson, David W. Foundations of an African Civilisation: Aksum and the Northern Horn, 1000 BC–AD 1300. Woodbridge, UK: James Currey, 2012.
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  223. While based on archaeological research, the book incorporates evidence from historical documentation, linguistics, and other research.
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  225. Modern Imperial History from 1855 to the 1974 Revolution
  226.  
  227. The works cited in this section focus on modern Ethiopian imperial history, which began in 1855. Several of the books listed in General Overviews look at the entire sweep of Ethiopian history. The material listed under Antiquities and Early Imperial History covers both the Aksumite and Solomonid periods. The goal here is to identify some of the best scholarship on certain aspects of modern imperial Ethiopia, especially the period of Italian occupation from 1936 to 1941. Bahru 1991 offers the best overview of this period for both the generalist and specialist. Tsegaye 1996 takes a long view of this period and constructs a thesis that relies heavily on Ethiopian fiscal systems. Erlich 1986, a leading Israeli scholar on Ethiopia, factors in foreign influence and emphasizes the role of Eritrea and Tigray. Marcus 1975 and Marcus 1995 analyzes imperial Ethiopia from the perspective of the last two emperors, Menelik II and Haile Selassie. Bahru 2002 looks at the decline of imperial rule through the eyes of Ethiopian reformist intellectuals. The next three works deal with the Italian-Ethiopian War and its aftermath. While this event accounts for only a speck of Ethiopian history, it captured the attention of the outside world and resulted in a cottage industry of publications. Mockler 1984 provides a solid and balanced analysis of the war. Sbacchi 1985 works primarily with material from Italian archives. Thompson 1987 is largely a military history of the war and its aftermath. Together, the three books provide a good picture of the war and the immediate postwar period.
  228.  
  229. Bahru Zewde. A History of Modern Ethiopia 1855–1974. London: James Currey, 1991.
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  231. Providing a background to contemporary Ethiopian political and social developments, the author takes a chronological approach to key developments from 1855 until the overthrow of Haile Selassie in 1974.
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  233. Bahru Zewde. Pioneers of Change in Ethiopia: The Reformist Intellectuals of the Early Twentieth Century. Oxford: James Currey, 2002.
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  235. A collective biography of remarkable men and women in the early 20th century that traces their influence on issues such as the national question and their legacy for revolutionary intellectuals in the 1960s and 1970s.
  236. Find this resource:
  237. Erlich, Haggai. Ethiopia and the Challenge of Independence. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 1986.
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  239. Picking up the analysis with the beginning of modern Ethiopia in 1855, Erlich emphasizes external influences on the country up to and including the revolution in 1974, which brought an end to imperial rule.
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  241. Marcus, Harold G. The Life and Times of Menelik II: Ethiopia 1844–1913. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea, 1975.
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  243. Also a biography, this study of Menelik II helps to explain Ethiopia’s survival between 1844 and 1913. The book emphasizes that Menelik was behind the geographic expansion and modernization of Ethiopia.
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  245. Marcus, Harold G. Haile Sellassie I: The Formative Years 1892–1936. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea, 1995.
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  247. While essentially a biography, this book offers valuable insights on imperial rule from 1892 through 1936. Marcus explains that the emperor brought Ethiopia into the modern world and in the process made the country the central actor in Northeast Africa and himself a global figure. Originally published 1987 (Berkeley: University of California Press).
  248. Find this resource:
  249. Mockler, Anthony. Haile Selassie’s War: The Italian-Ethiopian Campaign, 1935–1941. New York: Random House, 1984.
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  251. A journalistic account of the Italian-Ethiopian war written well after the fact, this readable and thorough presentation puts the war in historical context but emphasizes the years 1935–1941.
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  253. Sbacchi, Alberto. Ethiopia under Mussolini: Fascism and the Colonial Experience. London: Zed, 1985.
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  255. The author provides graphic detail of the Italian occupation based on an examination of Italian colonial archives. Highly critical of Italy, the book also argues that Haile Selassie failed his people by leaving armed resistance to the Ethiopian patriots while he went into exile.
  256. Find this resource:
  257. Thompson, Robert Norman. Liberation–The First to Be Freed. Vancouver, BC: Battleline, 1987.
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  259. A firsthand account of the East Africa campaign during the Second World War, this is a story of the removal of Italian occupation from Ethiopia. The analysis continues after the fighting ends and documents the difficulty of rehabilitation.
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  261. Tsegaye Tegenu. The Evolution of Ethiopian Absolutism: The Genesis and the Making of the Fiscal Military State, 1696–1913. Uppsala, Sweden: Uppsala University, 1996.
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  263. A published PhD dissertation, this is an ambitious analysis of the Ethiopian state and society from 1696 to 1913 as it integrated into an international state system and capitalist world economy. It identifies the distinct fiscal systems of the state, reveals the elements of Ethiopian independence, and presents a fresh view on structural problems of economic development.
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  265. Post-Imperial History 1974 to Present
  266.  
  267. Most of these works cover the transition from imperial Ethiopia into or through the revolutionary Derg regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam, which came to an end in 1991. It is apparently still too early for a comprehensive historical analysis of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front government. The section on Post-Imperial Politics and Government does cover the current government. Clapham 1988, Keller 1988, and Harbeson 1988 all put Ethiopia’s 1974 revolution in context. While all three books were published before the overthrow in 1991 of the Mengistu Haile Mariam government, they contain relevant lessons for the current political situation. Andargachew 1993, Dawit 1989, and Teferra 1997 analyze the transition from imperial Ethiopia to post-imperial Ethiopia from the perspective of Ethiopians. While their views are more personal, they demonstrate varying degrees of criticism of the Derg regime. Gebru 2009 is an impressive work that underscores the critical issue of conflict in Ethiopia’s periphery on the internal political situation. The 1998–2000 Ethiopian-Eritrean war has resulted in numerous publications. The best collection of material on this issue is De Guttry, et al. 2009, which brings together a wide range of comment and focuses on a legal perspective. It is useful for practitioners of international law, scholars, diplomats, and historians.
  268.  
  269. Andargachew Tiruneh. The Ethiopian Revolution 1974–1987: A Transformation from an Aristocratic to a Totalitarian Autocracy. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
  270. DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511563102Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  271. After discussing the collapse of the imperial government, the author emphasizes two periods of the Derg regime: the formative years from December 1974 to February 1977 and the consolidation of power from February 1977 to September 1987. Although he considers the regime autocratic, the author deals with it dispassionately and unemotionally.
  272. Find this resource:
  273. Clapham, Christopher. Transformation and Continuity in Revolutionary Ethiopia. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
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  275. The book traces the continuities between revolutionary Ethiopia and the development of a centralized Ethiopian state since the 19th century, with an emphasis on the institutionalization of the revolutionary regime since 1978.
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  277. Dawit Wolde Giorgis. Red Tears: War, Famine and Revolution in Ethiopia. Trenton, NJ: Red Sea, 1989.
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  279. Head of the famine relief effort in Ethiopia and a member of the Derg regime, the author left the country in 1986 and wrote a highly critical book about the government that he served for more than ten years. He describes the arrogance of power and corruption in the Mengistu Haile Mariam government.
  280. Find this resource:
  281. De Guttry, Andrea, Harry H. G. Post, and Gabriella Venturini. The 1998–2000 War between Eritrea and Ethiopia: An International Legal Perspective. The Hague: TMC Asser, 2009.
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  283. The book analyzes from an international legal perspective the boundary conflict preceding the armed conflict, the military actions themselves, and developments in the aftermath of the military activities. It is not limited to international legal issues.
  284. Find this resource:
  285. Gebru Tareke. The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2009.
  286. DOI: 10.12987/yale/9780300141634.001.0001Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  287. The author demonstrates how the dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam failed to respond to crises and alienated the peasantry by destroying human and material resources. The book focuses on conflicts in Ethiopia, especially in the Somali-inhabited Ogaden and Eritrea.
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  289. Harbeson, John W. The Ethiopian Transformation: The Quest for the Post-Imperial State. Boulder, CO: Westview, 1988.
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  291. The author identifies sources of violence in post-imperial Ethiopia, puts the revolution in historical context, identifies the reasons for the collapse of the empire, examines the policies of the Mengistu Haile Mariam government, and analyzes how the regime responded to challenges.
  292. Find this resource:
  293. Keller, Edmond J. Revolutionary Ethiopia: From Empire to People’s Republic. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1988.
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  295. Although written to explain the roots of Ethiopia’s 1974 revolution, the book does more than that. It analyzes the Ethiopian empire in terms of its historical and cultural antecedents and attempts to place the revolution into its proper context.
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  297. Teferra Haile-Selassie. The Ethiopian Revolution 1974–1991: From a Monarchical Autocracy to a Military Oligarchy. London: Kegan Paul International, 1997.
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  299. The last ambassador to the United Kingdom during the Haile Selassie government, the author offers historical antecedents to the 1974 revolution before dissecting the Derg regime. He tries to demonstrate the good and bad aspects of imperial and post-imperial governments.
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  301. The Run-up to Eritrean Independence
  302.  
  303. With the fall of the Derg regime in 1991, Eritrea received de facto independence. A referendum in 1993 formalized Eritrea’s separation from Ethiopia after a long and stormy history. The books cited in this section provide the background that led to Eritrean independence. Eyassu 1993 offers a comprehensive analysis of the development of Eritrean independence from the beginning for the specialist, while Redie 2007 does the same thing for both the specialist and the generalist. Iyob 1995 is an authoritative account for both specialist and generalist that emphasizes the period from the Second World War until formal independence in 1993. Tekeste 1997 looks particularly at Eritrean political organization during the development of anti-Ethiopian resistance. Amare 1994 is a nice collection of essays for the generalist that puts the Eritrean question in the framework of regional and international concerns.
  304.  
  305. Amare Tekle, ed. Eritrea and Ethiopia: From Conflict to Cooperation. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea, 1994.
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  307. A collection of essays by Ethiopians, Eritreans, and third-country nationals, the book was written at a time when it seemed that Ethiopia and Eritrea would have a cooperative relationship.
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  309. Eyassu Gayim. The Eritrean Question: The Conflict between the Right of Self-Determination and the Interests of States. Uppsala, Sweden: Iustus Förlag, 1993.
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  311. Based on a 1992 PhD dissertation, this is a detailed and carefully documented analysis of Eritrea’s move toward self-determination that begins with European rule in 1881.
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  313. Iyob, Ruth. The Eritrean Struggle for Independence: Domination, Resistance, Nationalism 1941–1993. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
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  315. The author explains the origins of Eritrean nationalism, examines the development of its nationalist movements, and analyzes the regional and international environment during the struggle for independence.
  316. Find this resource:
  317. Redie Bereketeab. Eritrea: The Making of a Nation 1890–1991. Trenton, NJ: Red Sea, 2007.
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  319. The book traces the making of Eritrea from 1890 until it broke away from Ethiopia in 1991. It attributes Eritrean independence to the actions of the colonial powers and nationalist movements.
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  321. Tekeste Negash. Eritrea and Ethiopia: The Federal Experience. Uppsala, Sweden: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, 1997.
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  323. While there is some background analysis, most of the book concentrates on the Ethiopia-Eritrea federation from 1952 to 1962 and the liberation struggle prior to 1991.
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  325. Imperial Politics and Government to 1974 Revolution
  326.  
  327. To varying degrees, these books collectively capture governance in Ethiopia dating back to the origins of the Solomonic Dynasty. All of them are more appropriate for the specialist or researcher working on some aspect of governance during the imperial period. Abir 1980 and Crummy 2000 deal with the longest expanse of time and include the earlier part of the imperial period. Teshale 1995, which takes a sociological approach to the analysis of governance, covers the period 1896 to 1974. Perham 1969 provides a comprehensive description of governance during the early middle years of the Haile Selassie era. Howard 1956 emphasizes the late middle years of the Haile Selassie government but puts it in historical context. Clapham 1969 provides political context and carefully documents the status of the government as it moves into its final years. Markakis 1974 emphasizes the final years of the Haile Selassie period. These four works offer a useful progression of governance under Haile Selassie.
  328.  
  329. Abir, Mordechai. Ethiopia and the Red Sea: The Rise and Decline of the Solomonic Dynasty and Muslim-European Rivalry in the Region. Abingdon, UK: Frank Cass, 1980.
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  331. The author looks at politics and economics in the Horn of Africa, with a focus on what is today Ethiopia, beginning in 1270 and continuing into the 17th century. The roles of Islam and of outside powers are a key part of the analysis.
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  333. Clapham, Christopher. Haile-Selassie’s Government. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1969.
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  335. The author reviews the span of Haile Selassie’s rule and brings it up to the late 1960s. He makes the point that Ethiopia is the only African nation whose government derives directly from an indigenous precolonial political system.
  336. Find this resource:
  337. Crummy, Donald. Land and Society in the Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia: From the Thirteenth to the Twentieth Century. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2000.
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  339. While the focus of this book is on land policy and the church from the 13th century to the 20th century, it offers useful insights on governance and political developments.
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  341. Howard, W. E. H. Public Administration in Ethiopia: A Study in Retrospect and Prospect. Groningen, The Netherlands: J.B. Wolters, 1956.
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  343. The book examines the structure of the Ethiopian government and the system of its administration in historical perspective. It emphasizes the situation during the ten-year period after the Second World War.
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  345. Markakis, John. Ethiopia: Anatomy of a Traditional Polity. Oxford: Clarendon, 1974.
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  347. The author provides some historical perspective on governance, but most of the book describes power, government, and society at the end of imperial rule.
  348. Find this resource:
  349. Perham, Margery. The Government of Ethiopia. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1969.
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  351. This edition of a book originally published in 1948 contains a new chapter on foreign and internal affairs. Otherwise, the book is a detailed description as of 1947 of the monarchy, government institutions, the church, law and justice, the military, economy, public finance, slavery, health and education, and governance in the different regions of Ethiopia.
  352. Find this resource:
  353. Teshale Tibebu. The Making of Modern Ethiopia: 1896–1974. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea, 1995.
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  355. The author provides a sociocultural analysis of the making of modern Ethiopia, with a focus on the role of class. He first looks at the old order from 1896 to 1935 and then the demise of that system from 1941 to 1974.
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  357. Post-Imperial Politics and Government
  358.  
  359. Two of these works are exclusively on the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the single most important party in the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front. Young 1997 analyzes the movement from the standpoint of a Canadian scholar looking in. Aregawi 2009 is the view of an Ethiopian inside the movement describing it to the rest of the world. The works are best read together. Kiflu 1993 provides an insider’s view of the once important but now largely defunct Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party. The work sheds considerable light, however, on the situation during the Derg regime. Pausewang, et al. 2002 takes a close look at the electoral process of the current government by drawing on contributions from a variety of experts. Aalen 2011 and Turton 2006 deal with some aspects of the current government’s policy of ethnic federalism, one of the most important and controversial experiments taking place today in African governance. Much of the analysis is critical, although it also includes some grudging praise. Seyoum and Mohammed 2006 looks at a much wider range of issues, although mostly in a critical fashion. Fasil 1997 is an essential study for understanding Ethiopia’s constitution. A long-standing adviser to the Ethiopian prime minister, the author approaches the topic clinically and leaves criticism to others.
  360.  
  361. Aalen, Lovise. The Politics of Ethnicity in Ethiopia: Actors, Power and Mobilisation under Ethnic Federalism. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2011.
  362. DOI: 10.1163/ej.9789004207295.i-214Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  363. The book offers a detailed study of ethnic federalism at work in the multiethnic environment of southern Ethiopia. It concludes that ethnic federalism may have eased large-scale ethnic conflicts, but it has led to the “ethnicisation” of local socioeconomic disputes and to sharper inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic divides.
  364. Find this resource:
  365. Aregawi Berhe. A Political History of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (1975–1991): Revolt, Ideology, and Mobilisation in Ethiopia. Los Angeles: Tsehai, 2009.
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  367. Written by one of the founders of the movement, this is an insider’s account of the origins and development of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the leaders during its inception, divergences on objectives and strategy, and its relationship with other organizations opposed to the Derg regime.
  368. Find this resource:
  369. Fasil Nahum. Constitution for a Nation of Nations: The Ethiopian Prospect. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea, 1997.
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  371. The book provides a summary of Ethiopia’s constitutional history, but focuses on the 1994 constitution that governs the country today. The author comments on the constitution article by article.
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  373. Kiflu Tadesse. The Generation. Part I: The History of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party from the Early Beginnings to 1975. Trenton, NJ: Red Sea, 1993.
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  375. Part I is a detailed history until 1975 of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party, one of the principal groups opposing the Derg regime and a subsequent competitor of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Continued in Part II (Ethiopia: Transformation and Conflict. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1998), which chronicles the gradual disintegration of the party from 1975 to 1980.
  376. Find this resource:
  377. Pausewang, Siegfried, Kjetil Tronvoll, and Lovise Aalen, eds. Ethiopia since the Derg: A Decade of Democratic Pretension and Performance. London: Zed, 2002.
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  379. A collection of articles, the book provides a wide-ranging context for the Ethiopian elections in 2000 and 2001. The contributors examine gender issues, urban and rural contrasts, class and caste conflict, environmental factors, and political violence.
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  381. Seyoum Hameso, and Mohammed Hassen, eds. Arrested Development in Ethiopia: Essays on Underdevelopment, Democracy and Self-Determination. Trenton, NJ: Red Sea, 2006.
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  383. Generally critical of the current Ethiopian government, many of the authors look at the issues from the perspective of the Oromo, the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, and the Sidama, the largest ethnic group in southwestern Ethiopia.
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  385. Turton, David, ed. Ethnic Federalism: The Ethiopian Experience in Comparative Perspective. Oxford: James Currey, 2006.
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  387. Five of the nine essays discuss ethnic federalism as it is being practiced in Ethiopia today. The book compares the situation in Ethiopia with those in Nigeria and India and suggests ways Ethiopia might learn from both the failures and successes of these older federations. The book identifies the main challenges Ethiopia faces as it implements its version of ethnic federalism.
  388. Find this resource:
  389. Young, John. Peasant Revolution in Ethiopia: The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, 1975–1991. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
  390. DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511598654Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  391. The author emphasizes the peasant-based nature of the organization and the critical role played by political considerations in its success. It is largely based on interviews with peasants who formed the core of the Tigrayan revolution and the leadership of the front.
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  393. External Relations
  394.  
  395. Some aspects of Ethiopia’s external relations are captured in the sections Narrative Accounts, Modern Imperial History from 1855 to the 1974 Revolution, Post-Imperial History 1974 to Present, and Imperial Politics and Government to 1974 Revolution. This section includes several works that do not fit neatly into these categories. Erlich is the leading authority on Ethiopia’s relations with the Middle East. Erlich 1994 is the more general of the two books listed below, while Erlich 1996 treats Ethiopia’s external engagements in the context of a political biography of an important Ethiopian official. Spencer 1984 contains some fascinating insights on Haile Selassie’s foreign policy from the standpoint of a foreigner on the inside. Agyeman-Duah 1994 is a case study of US military assistance to Ethiopia during two radically different Ethiopian governments. Korn 1986 evaluates Ethiopia’s relations with the United States and the Soviet Union during the depth of the Cold War, when the Soviets had strong ties with Ethiopia and the United States was trying to maintain at least some influence. All of these books are appropriate for both the generalist and the specialist.
  396.  
  397. Agyeman-Duah, Baffour. The United States and Ethiopia: Military Assistance and the Quest for Security, 1953–1993. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1994.
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  399. The focus of this book is the military relationship between Ethiopia and the United States; it spans the Haile Selassie and Mengistu Haile Mariam governments.
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  401. Erlich, Haggai. Ethiopia and the Middle East. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 1994.
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  403. The book looks at Ethiopia’s early relations with the Middle East, especially the Ottoman Empire and Egypt. The more modern period includes a chapter on Israel.
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  405. Erlich, Haggai. Ras Alula and the Scramble for Africa. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea, 1996.
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  407. A combination of internal political maneuvering and the roles of Egypt, the United Kingdom, and Italy, the book approaches the issues through the eyes of Ras Alula, an Ethiopian who played a major role in the making of modern Ethiopia.
  408. Find this resource:
  409. Korn, David A. Ethiopia the United States and the Soviet Union. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1986.
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  411. The head of the American Embassy in Addis Ababa from 1982 to 1985, the author was in a position to observe firsthand both US and Soviet relations with the Mengistu Haile Mariam government.
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  413. Spencer, John H. Ethiopia at Bay: A Personal Account of the Haile Selassie Years. Algonac, MI: Reference Publications, 1984.
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  415. An American and foreign policy adviser to Emperor Haile Selassie, the author offers a firsthand account of Ethiopia’s foreign policy from the outbreak of the Italo-Ethiopian War until the death of the Emperor in 1975.
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  417. Economy
  418.  
  419. Ethiopia’s economy remains largely based on agriculture, although the service sector is playing an increasingly important role. The industrial sector has been stagnant, and Ethiopia has not yet benefited significantly from natural resource exports, although gold production has increased. In spite of its relative poverty, Ethiopia has had an impressive GDP growth rate in the past nine years. Most of the works cited below deal with Ethiopia’s economic history. Pankhurst 1961 and Pankhurst 1968 cover the period from before the birth of Christ to 1935. Shifferaw 1995 fills out economic history for the years 1941 to 1974. Eshetu 2004 also offers economic history, although the topics are more eclectic. McCann 1995 reviews almost 200 years of agricultural history up to 1990. All five works are appropriate for both the generalist and the specialist interested in Ethiopian economic history. Plummer 2012 is the most recent and comprehensive analysis of the issue of corruption in Ethiopia. World Bank 2013 contains a wealth of useful and up-to-date information on Ethiopia’s economy and the factors for evaluating the prospects of doing business in the country. The Bank updates this publication annually.
  420.  
  421. Eshetu Chole. Underdevelopment in Ethiopia. Addis Ababa: Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa, 2004.
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  423. This constitutes a collection of essays published earlier by the author, one of Ethiopia’s leading economists, and released here as a single volume. The essays cover the period from 1941 until the late 1990s.
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  425. McCann, James C. People of the Plow: An Agricultural History of Ethiopia, 1800–1990. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1995.
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  427. The author places Ethiopia’s agricultural history in the context of the larger environmental and landscape history of Ethiopia, showing how farmers have integrated crops, tools, and labor with natural cycles of rainfall and soil fertility, as well as the social vagaries of changing political systems.
  428. Find this resource:
  429. Pankhurst, Richard. An Introduction to the Economic History of Ethiopia from Early Times to 1800. London: Lalibela House, 1961.
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  431. Following an historical introduction that begins prior to the birth of Christ, the author describes economic and social life in Ethiopia from 1300 to 1800 with attention to issues such as land tenure, role of the church, agriculture, taxation, mineral wealth, and foreign trade.
  432. Find this resource:
  433. Pankhurst, Richard. Economic History of Ethiopia: 1800–1935. Addis Ababa: Haile Sellassie I, 1968.
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  435. This is a continuation of Pankhurst 1961 and covers the years 1800 through 1935.
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  437. Plummer, Janelle, ed. Diagnosing Corruption in Ethiopia: Perceptions, Realities, and the Way Forward for Key Sectors. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2012.
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  439. The book presents the findings of a study conducted by the World Bank that mapped the nature of corruption in eight sectors—health, education, water, justice, construction, land, telecommunications, and mining. The results suggested that corruption is comparatively limited and potentially much lower than in other low-income countries.
  440. Find this resource:
  441. Shifferaw Bekele, ed. An Economic History of Ethiopia: The Imperial Era 1941–74. Dakar, Senegal: CODESRIA, 1995.
  442. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  443. This is a collection of six essays. One is an overview of the economy from 1941 to 1974; the others deal with land tenure, peasant agriculture, industrialization, monetary policy, and demography.
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  445. World Bank. Doing Business 2014: Ethiopia. Washington: World Bank, 2013.
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  447. The World Bank ranked and evaluated in detail 189 countries on the basis of ten topics: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, and resolving insolvency. Ethiopia ranked 125th out of 189.
  448. Find this resource:
  449. Geography and Environment
  450.  
  451. Geographically diversified, Ethiopia belongs to a highland-lowland system where resources are not equally distributed but are interlinked. Ethiopia is one of the world’s most degraded biodiversity hot spots. Blanford 1870 provides an early baseline of the geology and zoology of highland Ethiopia from the perspective of a professional geologist. The work is intended for the specialist. Abul-Haggag 1961 is an analysis of northern Ethiopian landforms. It, too, is aimed at the specialist. Mesfin 1972 offers an introduction to Ethiopian geography designed for the generalist. Alemneh 1990 and Mesfin 1991 both rely on surveys and interviews at the village level and focus on environmental challenges. Yeraswork 2000 is a detailed analysis of a failed conservation program and is more appropriate for specialists, including those doing comparative work. McKee 2007 is an impressive survey of a wide range of environmental concerns and is of utility to both generalist and specialist. McCann 1987 uses an interdisciplinary approach to study the persistence of famine in the northeast region of Ethiopia. Brighter Green 2011, although it emphasizes food security, includes environmental concerns and is a useful case study.
  452.  
  453. Abul-Haggag, Y. A Contribution to the Physiography of Northern Ethiopia. London: Athlone, 1961.
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  455. Based mainly on field observations and published Italian and German sources, the study focuses on landforms in the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands.
  456. Find this resource:
  457. Alemneh Dejene. Environment, Famine, and Politics in Ethiopia: A View from the Village. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 1990.
  458. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  459. Based on interviews at the village level, this study looks at environmental degradation, peasant perceptions of the threat, responses for coping with famine, the utility of resettlement, and ideas for preventing famine and preserving the environment.
  460. Find this resource:
  461. Blanford, W. T. Observations on the Geology and Zoology of Abyssinia. London: Macmillan, 1870.
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  463. An early study of the geography of the Ethiopian highlands with a focus on geology and zoology; the author offers detailed scientific observations.
  464. Find this resource:
  465. Brighter Green. Climate, Food Security, & Growth: Ethiopia’s Complex Relationship with Livestock. New York: Brighter Green, 2011.
  466. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  467. A New York–based public policy organization, Brighter Green offers important insights on Ethiopia’s food security as it is affected by environmental challenges such as climate change.
  468. Find this resource:
  469. McCann, James. From Poverty to Famine in Northeast Ethiopia: A Rural History 1900–1935. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1987.
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  471. This is an examination of the circumstances in which northern Wallo’s rural population lived, farmed, and adapted to a changing physical environment and political economy between 1900 and 1935.
  472. Find this resource:
  473. McKee, Jonathan. Ethiopia: Country Environmental Profile. Addis Ababa: EC Delegation, 2007.
  474. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  475. A major compilation of environmental challenges facing Ethiopia such as deforestation and reduction in biodiversity, it also analyzes environmental policies and legislation and the impact of assistance aimed at improving the environment.
  476. Find this resource:
  477. Mesfin Wolde-Mariam. An Introductory Geography of Ethiopia. Addis Ababa: Berhanena Selam H.S.I., 1972.
  478. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  479. Designed for students, this survey covers physical structures, climate, vegetation and wildlife, soils, agriculture, industry, transport and communication, trade, population and settlement, urbanization, and poverty and development as of the early 1970s.
  480. Find this resource:
  481. Mesfin Wolde-Mariam. Suffering under God’s Environment: A Vertical Study of the Predicament of Peasants in North-Central Ethiopia. Berne, Switzerland: African Mountains Association, 1991.
  482. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  483. Based on a survey of 1,425 households in 285 villages in rural areas of northern Shewa and southern Wello, the author evaluates the impact of the environment, demographic issues, agriculture and livestock, peasant trade, income and expenses, and peasant food intake.
  484. Find this resource:
  485. Yeraswork Admassie. Twenty Years to Nowhere: Property Rights, Land Management and Conservation in Ethiopia. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea, 2000.
  486. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  487. The book explains why a major conservation program implemented in Ethiopia during the twenty years of the Derg regime failed to induce the changes in land use and management practices that it sought to bring about, and why it was not sustained by indigenous farmers. The study concludes that property rights conditions contributed most to the failure of the program.
  488. Find this resource:
  489. Culture, Gender, and Education
  490.  
  491. While this is a mixed group of topics, there is considerable overlap. Pankhurst 1955 and Pankhurst 1990 provide lengthy historical surveys of culture in Ethiopia as well as descriptions and analyses of gender and education, among other topics. Teshome 1979 contains an historical review of education in Ethiopia. It is also a useful data point for education as of the early 1970s. World Bank 2005 is a statistical analysis of primary and secondary education in Ethiopia as of the early 2000s that updates the statistical information provided by Teshome. Pankhurst 1992 and Smith 2013 emphasize gender issues some twenty years apart; Smith puts gender in the context of citizenship as an important analytical tool. All of these works are appropriate for both generalist and specialist.
  492.  
  493. Pankhurst, Sylvia. Ethiopia: A Cultural History. Woodford Green, UK: Lalibela House, 1955.
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  495. The mother of Richard Pankhurst, Sylvia Pankhurst documents in this massive work topics that go beyond the usual definition of culture, including foreign influence, the church, education, and history.
  496. Find this resource:
  497. Pankhurst, Richard. A Social History of Ethiopia: The Northern and Central Highlands from Early Medieval Times to the Rise of Emperor Téwodros II. Trenton, NJ: Red Sea, 1990.
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  499. The region covered in this book constituted the core of the traditional Ethiopian state. Located in a unique highland, it demonstrated predominantly Christian culture. This is the best-documented region of Ethiopia and, as a result, lends itself to an historical approach.
  500. Find this resource:
  501. Pankhurst, Helen. Gender, Development and Identity: An Ethiopian Study. London: Zed, 1992.
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  503. This study of women in Ethiopia focuses on interrelationships between the different spheres of state intervention, the household economy, religion, marital relations, and lifecycle events. The author shows how women’s day-to-day activities reflect their self-identity and how they are perceived by men.
  504. Find this resource:
  505. Smith, Lahra. Making Citizens in Africa: Ethnicity, Gender, and National Identity in Ethiopia. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2013.
  506. DOI: 10.1017/CBO9781139547468Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  507. The author advances the idea of meaningful citizenship, referring to the ways in which rights are exercised, the effective practice of citizenship. Looking at language policy, ethnicity, and gender identities, she focuses on citizenship rights of the Oromo and women.
  508. Find this resource:
  509. Teshome G. Wagaw Education in Ethiopia: Prospect and Retrospect. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1979.
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  511. After providing a history of the beginnings of education in Ethiopia, the author offers a baseline analysis as of the early 1970s of education in both Ethiopia and Eritrea. The book looks at the development of education from an ancient, rigid, church-controlled system to the modern public school system.
  512. Find this resource:
  513. World Bank. Education in Ethiopia: Strengthening the Foundation for Sustainable Progress. Washington: World Bank, 2005.
  514. DOI: 10.1596/978-0-8213-6226-6Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  515. This book-length report offers a gold mine of statistics on the primary and secondary school educational situation in Ethiopia as of the early 2000s. It argues for wise tradeoffs in the use of resources by giving lower levels of government more leeway to adapt central standards and by strengthening accountability for results at all levels of administration.
  516. Find this resource:
  517. Ethnography
  518.  
  519. With some eighty-five ethnic groups and a significant number of researchers who have studied them, Ethiopia has no shortage of ethnographic studies. The works listed below cover the largest ethnic groups and provide a sampling of some lesser-known ones. Some of the other sections, especially Post-Imperial Politics and Government, offer useful insights on several of the ethnic groups. Lewis 1965 is a history of the Oromo kingdom of Jimma from 1830 to 1932, while Baxter, et al. 1996 looks exclusively at the large Oromo community today. Levine 1965 analyzes the second-most-populous Amhara ethnic group during a time when it dominated political power in Ethiopia. Shack 1974 studies the Amhara, Tigrinya-speaking peoples, and other smaller groups from the perspective of an anthropologist. Kassa 2001 deals exclusively with the pastoralist Afar, while Lewis 1955 looks at three ethnic groups in eastern Ethiopia: the Somali, Afar, and Saho. Gabreyesus 1991 studies the entrepreneurial Gurage in southern Ethiopia, while Freeman and Pankhurst 2001 provides insights on a dozen ethnic groups in southern Ethiopia. Bender 1981 provides us with accounts of the lesser-known ethnic communities along the Ethio-Sudan border. See also the separate Oxford Bibliographies article on Oromo.
  520.  
  521. Baxter, P. T. W., Jan Hultin, and Alessandro Triulzi, eds. Being and Becoming Oromo: Historical and Anthropological Enquiries. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea, 1996.
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  523. Consisting of essays by experts on the Oromo, this work provides a wide-ranging discussion of the most numerous ethnic group in Ethiopia and one of the largest groups in Africa. The essays seek to explain why recognition of their importance took so long and to analyze some aspects of Oromo culture.
  524. Find this resource:
  525. Bender, Lionel M., ed. Peoples and Cultures of the Ethio-Sudan Borderlands. East Lansing: Michigan State University, 1981.
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  527. This work focuses on lesser-known ethnic groups that reside near the border with Sudan and South Sudan. It includes essays on the Omo Murle, Gaam or Ingessana, Bega or Gumuz, Dar Mesalit, Nyangatom, and Bertha.
  528. Find this resource:
  529. Freeman, Dena, and Alula Pankhurst, eds. Living on the Edge: Marginalised Minorities of Craftworkers and Hunters in Southern Ethiopia. Addis Ababa: Addis Ababa University, 2001.
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  531. With an emphasis on the practical implications for development and social justice, the essays in this work deal with a dozen ethnic groups in southern Ethiopia, including the Gurage, Yem, Kembata, Kafa, Shekacho, Dawro, Malo, Oyda, Gamo, Wolaita, Sidama, and Konso.
  532. Find this resource:
  533. Gabreyesus Hailemariam. The Guragué and Their Culture. New York: Vantage, 1991.
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  535. This is both a history of the Gurage and an ethnographic study. It devotes most of the analysis to key cultural attributes of the ethnic group.
  536. Find this resource:
  537. Kassa Negussie Getachew. Among the Pastoral Afar in Ethiopia: Tradition, Continuity and Socio-Economic Change. Utrecht, The Netherlands: International Books, 2001.
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  539. The author documents the history, social structure, and ecology of the Afar region and people. The study challenges stereotypes about pastoralists’ social life, pastoral economy, resource use and tenure, livestock raising, and ecology in the semiarid Afar region.
  540. Find this resource:
  541. Levine, Donald N. Wax and Gold: Tradition and Innovation in Ethiopian Culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1965.
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  543. A classic piece of work by a sociologist, this study of Amhara society looks at the nature of traditional society and its enduring values and beliefs. Much of the analysis focuses on the Amharic language and its poetry, where the “wax” is the obvious meaning and the “gold” is the hidden meaning.
  544. Find this resource:
  545. Lewis, I. M. Peoples of the Horn of Africa: Somali, Afar and Saho. London: International African Institute, 1955.
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  547. While the study deals with ethnic groups that extend into neighboring Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, and Kenya, they also reside in territory that constitutes about one-quarter of the land area of Ethiopia. The Somali are the most numerous, followed by the Afar and the much smaller Saho.
  548. Find this resource:
  549. Lewis, Herbert S. A Galla Monarchy: Jimma Abba Jifar, Ethiopia, 1830–1932. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1965.
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  551. The book describes the kingdom of Jimma Abba Jifar, which existed as a functioning state in Ethiopia from about 1830 until 1932. The Galla (now known as Oromo) monarchy was organized on the basis of territory rather than kinship.
  552. Find this resource:
  553. Shack, William A. The Central Ethiopians: Amhara, Tigrina and Related Peoples. London: International African Institute, 1974.
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  555. While the emphasis is on the more important Amhara and Tigrinya-speaking peoples, the work gives considerable attention to the very small group of Falasha (the so-called Ethiopian Jews), Tigre-speaking peoples, Gurage, Harari, Argobba, and Gafat.
  556. Find this resource:
  557. Christianity
  558.  
  559. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church continues to be the predominant Christian faith in Ethiopia, but it has been losing adherents to other faiths, especially Protestant evangelical churches. According to the 2007 census, almost 44 percent of the population remains Ethiopian Orthodox, about 19 percent is Protestant, and less than 1 percent is Catholic. Taddesse 1972 provides a history of relations between the state and Ethiopian Orthodox Church from 1270 to 1527. Chaillot 2002 and Isaac 2013 offer recent accounts of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Fargher 1996 provides a solid history of the Sudan Interior Mission in Ethiopia and the development of the evangelical Kale Heywat Church. Although Eide 2000 covers only a brief period in the history of the evangelical movement in Ethiopia, it was a critical time in the evolution of the evangelical Mekane Yesus Church. While the Jesuits had little lasting impact in Ethiopia, Caraman 1985 documents their fascinating and important early history in the country. Crummey 1972 is a study of Christian mission activity in Ethiopia during a thirty-eight-year period in the 19th century. Getatchew, et al. 1998 offers essays on Catholic and Protestant missionary activity emanating from Europe, especially the Scandinavian countries in the case of Protestant missionaries. Although some of the topics are narrow, the books are equally suitable for generalist and specialist. See also the separate Oxford Bibliographies article on African Christianity, which includes a long section on Ethiopian Christianity.
  560.  
  561. Caraman, Philip. The Lost Empire: The Story of the Jesuits in Ethiopia 1555–1634. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1985.
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  563. This is the story of the Jesuits who followed Portuguese soldiers into Ethiopia. Their engagement in and writings about Ethiopia between 1555 and 1634 helped bring Ethiopia to the attention of the outside world. Their purpose was to bring Ethiopia into communion with Rome, a task that largely failed.
  564. Find this resource:
  565. Chaillot, Christine. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Tradition. Paris: Inter-Orthodox Dialogue, 2002.
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  567. This work provides an introduction to the life and spirituality of Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It discusses church history, organization, mission, literature, theological teaching, liturgical life, spirituality, and monastic life.
  568. Find this resource:
  569. Crummey, Donald. Priests and Politicians: Protestant and Catholic Missions in Orthodox Ethiopia, 1830–1868. Oxford: Clarendon, 1972.
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  571. This is a thematic approach to the role of missionaries in the genesis of modern Ethio-European relations and the apparent motives of Ethiopian leaders in dealing with representatives of the missionary movement.
  572. Find this resource:
  573. Eide, Øyvind M. Revolution and Religion in Ethiopia: The Growth and Persecution of the Mekane Yesus Church, 1974–85. Oxford: James Currey, 2000.
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  575. The work recounts the changing relations between the revolutionary Ethiopian government and one of the largest evangelical groups, the Mekane Yesus Church. The author shows how church leaders initially supported the revolution and promoted its goals of equity and development. Within four years, the revolutionary government began persecuting the church.
  576. Find this resource:
  577. Fargher, Brian L. The Origins of the New Churches Movement in Southern Ethiopia, 1927–1944. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 1996.
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  579. This study investigates the background, beginnings, and early development of non-Orthodox churches in southern Ethiopia, especially the role of the Sudan Interior Mission. It documents the theory and practice behind the movement that resulted in the evangelical Kale Heywat Church.
  580. Find this resource:
  581. Getatchew Haile, Aasulv Lande, and Samuel Rubenson, eds. The Missionary Factor in Ethiopia: Papers from a Symposium on the Impact of European Missions on Ethiopian Society, Lund University, August 1996. Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 1998.
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  583. The work is a compilation of essays that discuss the justification of foreign missionary activity in a country that was already predominantly Christian, the impact of Catholic missionaries, the colonial context of late-19th-century missionary activity, and the impact of the Europeans on social and intellectual developments.
  584. Find this resource:
  585. Isaac, Ephraim. The Ethiopian Orthodox Täwahïdo Church. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea, 2013.
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  587. The author is a well-known religious scholar with close ties to Ethiopia. This is a comprehensive analysis of the history, tenets, organization, and influence of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
  588. Find this resource:
  589. Taddesse Tamrat. Church and State in Ethiopia, 1270–1527. Oxford: Clarendon, 1972.
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  591. Based on a School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London PhD dissertation that draws on many Ethiopian sources, the author carefully documents almost 300 years of history of the relationship between the state and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
  592. Find this resource:
  593. Islam
  594.  
  595. According to the 2007 census, Muslims constitute about 34 percent of Ethiopia’s population. Many Muslims argue the percentage is actually higher, but there are no statistical data to back that claim. Whatever the percentage, Islam has played an important historical role in Ethiopia. While its importance declined in the 20th century, it became a more significant factor in politics after the 1974 revolution and especially after the 1991 overthrow of the Derg regime. Trimingham 1952 provides the most comprehensive description of Islam in Ethiopia, although there have been significant Salafist influences since this book was written. Erlich 2010 and Samatar 1992 put Islam in an important regional context. Historically and currently, Islam has had major cross-border impacts. Braukämper 2002 provides a detailed historical analysis of Islam in southern Ethiopia, especially among the Oromo. Desplat and Østebø 2013 bring together a series of studies on Islam in Ethiopia that underscore the role it has played. Østebø 2012 is a thorough analysis of Salafism in one region of Ethiopia.
  596.  
  597. Braukämper, Ulrich. Islamic History and Culture in Southern Ethiopia: Collected Essays. Münster, Germany: Lit Verlag, 2002.
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  599. This work looks at Islamic principalities in southeast Ethiopia between the 13th and 16th centuries, Muslim shrines on the Harar plateau, Oromo-Somali connections in Bale, the Islamization of the Arsi-Oromo, and medieval Muslim survivals as a stimulating factor in the re-Islamization of southeastern Ethiopia.
  600. Find this resource:
  601. Desplat, Patrick, and Terje Østebø, eds. Muslim Ethiopia: The Christian Legacy, Identity Politics, and Islamic Reformism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.
  602. DOI: 10.1057/9781137322098Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  603. This collection of studies on Islam in Ethiopia challenges the notion of a Christian Ethiopia isolated in the highlands and dominated by Orthodox Christianity. The book emphasizes the role of Islamic studies in Ethiopia.
  604. Find this resource:
  605. Erlich, Haggai. Islam and Christianity in the Horn of Africa: Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2010.
  606. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  607. The book analyzes historical interaction between Muslims and Christians in the Horn, the impact of religion on Ethiopia-Somalia and Ethiopia-Sudan relations, and religion and politics in the Horn. The author grapples with the question of whether Islam and Christianity can coexist in the region.
  608. Find this resource:
  609. Østebø, Terje. Localising Salafism: Religious Change among Oromo Muslims in Bale, Ethiopia. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2012.
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  611. A micro study, the book sheds light on the emergence and expansion of Salafism in Bale region. It discusses the arrival of Salafism in the late 1960s and follows it through the Marxist revolution and then the rapid expansion of the movement in the 1990s.
  612. Find this resource:
  613. Samatar, Said S., ed. In the Shadow of Conquest: Islam in Colonial Northeast Africa. Trenton, NJ: Red Sea, 1992.
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  615. Two of the essays in this book deal specifically with Ethiopia. One concerns Islam as a resistance ideology among the Oromo between 1700 and 1900; the other deals with the Muslims of Gondar between 1900 and 1935.
  616. Find this resource:
  617. Trimingham, J. Spencer. Islam in Ethiopia. London: Frank Cass, 1952.
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  619. Although somewhat dated, this is the definitive study of Islam in Ethiopia. It deals with the centuries of conflict between Christianity and Islam in Ethiopia.
  620. Find this resource:
  621. Beta Israel
  622.  
  623. Although never numerous, the Beta Israel, better known as Falasha Jews, have been studied extensively and attracted a disproportionate amount of attention as nearly all of them migrated to Israel in several waves after 1979. Leslau 1951 offers the specialist a selection of the sacred literature of the Falasha, translated for the first time into English from Ethiopic sources. Shelemay 1986 discusses the Jewish religion and history of the Beta Israel. Kaplan 1992 focuses on the history and literature of the Beta Israel, while Quirin 1992 traces their historical evolution and disputed origins until the early 20th century. Berger 1996 provides an insider’s account of the exodus and resettlement of 50,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel. These four books should appeal to both generalist and specialist.
  624.  
  625. Berger, Graenum. Rescue the Ethiopian Jews! A Memoir, 1955–1995. New Rochelle, NY: John Washburn Bleeker Hampton, 1996.
  626. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  627. The book covers forty years during which Berger followed the story of the Beta Israel, including the secret airlift from Sudan in 1979, Operation Moses in 1984–1985, and the exodus from Addis Ababa in 1991.
  628. Find this resource:
  629. Kaplan, Steven. The Beta Israel (Falasha) in Ethiopia: From Earliest Times to the Twentieth Century. New York: New York University Press, 1992.
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  631. The book emphasizes the history of the Beta Israel and contains an excellent bibliography on the subject.
  632. Find this resource:
  633. Leslau, Wolf. Falasha Anthology. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1951.
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  635. After providing an introduction to the life and mores of the Falasha based on personal observation, the author translates their literature, which emphasizes their veneration of the Sabbath and the serenity of their prayers.
  636. Find this resource:
  637. Quirin, James. The Evolution of Ethiopian Jews: A History of the Beta Israel (Falasha) to 1920. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992.
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  639. After documenting the history of the Beta Israel, the author describes the attempts at proselytization of this community by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
  640. Find this resource:
  641. Shelemay, Kay Kaufman. Music, Ritual and Falasha History. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University, 1986.
  642. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  643. This book provides an account of the origins of the Beta Israel, their belief systems, and the way they conduct religious worship.
  644. Find this resource:
  645. Language, Literature, and Drama
  646.  
  647. Ethiopia has two old, written indigenous languages. The oldest one is Ge’ez, which is rarely used today except as a liturgical language by the Orthodox Church. It has been replaced by Amharic, the lingua franca for most of Ethiopia. There are other languages, such as Afan Oromo and Somali, that have also made important oral contributions to poetry and literature. Although aimed at the specialist, Ullendorff 1955 is a solid technical analysis of Ethiopia’s Semitic languages. Ayele 1997 emphasizes the importance of Ge’ez in the development of Ethiopian literature. Daniachew 1973 and Sahle 1974 are two of the best-known Ethiopian novels. Molvaer 1997 and Taddesse and Ahmed 1995 both critique a range of Ethiopian writers. They also provide helpful analysis on the development of Ethiopian literature and its movement from Amharic to world languages, thus giving it a far wider audience. Sumner 1995 brings the rich Oromo oral tradition to the printed page so that non-Oromo speakers can appreciate it.
  648.  
  649. Ayele Bekerie. Ethiopic, an African Writing System: Its History and Principles. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea, 1997.
  650. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  651. The author argues that Ge’ez or Ethiopic is one of the major contributions made by Africans to world history and cultures. Ethiopic laid the foundation for a great literary tradition in Ethiopia and contributed to our knowledge today of Christianity. The author traces the Ethiopic writing system back to 2000 BCE.
  652. Find this resource:
  653. Daniachew Worku. The Thirteenth Sun. London: Heinemann, 1973.
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  655. Before writing in English, the author had established a reputation for his plays, stories, and poetry in Amharic. This novel concerns a young radical who unwillingly takes his dying nobleman father on a pilgrimage to an Ethiopian shrine by a mountain lake.
  656. Find this resource:
  657. Molvaer, Reidulf K. Black Lions: The Creative Lives of Modern Ethiopia’s Literary Giants and Pioneers. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea, 1997.
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  659. This is an analysis of 20th-century Ethiopian writers and a history of the development of Amharic literature. It covers the lives and work of thirty-two Ethiopian writers and lexicographers.
  660. Find this resource:
  661. Sahle Sellassie. Warrior King. London: Heinemann, 1974.
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  663. The author writes in Amharic, English, and French. This is a historical novel about the rise of Kasa Hailu, who became Emperor Tewodros II in 1855.
  664. Find this resource:
  665. Sumner, Claude. Oromo Wisdom Literature. Vol. 1: Proverbs Collection and Analysis. Addis Ababa: Gudina Tumsa Foundation, 1995.
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  667. The book translates Oromo proverbs into English and includes the author’s comments. It also discusses different approaches for interpreting the literature.
  668. Find this resource:
  669. Taddesse Adera, and Ali Jimale Ahmed, eds. Silence Is Not Golden: A Critical Anthology of Ethiopian Literature. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea, 1995.
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  671. A series of essays, the book provides a critical review of some of Ethiopia’s most famous writers. The goal of the book is to offer general insights and increased awareness of the richness of Ethiopian literature.
  672. Find this resource:
  673. Ullendorff, Edward. The Semitic Languages of Ethiopia: A Comparative Phonology. London: Taylor’s (Foreign), 1955.
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  675. This is a technical analysis of Semitic languages in Ethiopia. The main focus is on Ge’ez, Tigrinya, Tigre, and Amharic. The author gives less attention to Gurage and Harari and even less to Gafat and Argobba.
  676. Find this resource:
  677. Art and Music
  678.  
  679. Ethiopia’s art and music are as rich as its literature. Most of the early art and music are closely linked to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. In more recent decades, secular forms of art and music have become much more prominent. The essays in Ramos and Boavida 2004 provide an historical backdrop of foreign influences on Ethiopian art. Chojnacki 2000 includes a huge illustrated selection of Ethiopian ecclesiastical art. Horowitz 2001 is similar but adds a selection of metal crosses, which remain an important part of Ethiopian art. Friedlander 2007 continues the ecclesiastical theme, but takes the reader to paintings inside existing Ethiopian churches. Silverman 1999 primarily deals with Ethiopian handicrafts made with a wide variety of materials; these objects also qualify as art. Powne 1968 provides one of the few surveys of Ethiopian music, but even his efforts do not include the music of the numerous ethnic groups living in the lowlands of Ethiopia. Sumner 1997 brings the tradition of Oromo song into English.
  680.  
  681. Chojnacki, Stanislaw. Ethiopian Icons: Catalogue of the Collection of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies Addis Ababa University. Milan: Skira, 2000.
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  683. The author is one of the leading authorities on Ethiopian ecclesiastical art. This oversize and beautifully illustrated volume contains a detailed description of each of the paintings and is preceded by an extensive introduction and chronological tables of the main themes in Ethiopian art.
  684. Find this resource:
  685. Friedlander, María-José. Ethiopia’s Hidden Treasures: A Guide to the Paintings of the Remote Churches of Ethiopia. Addis Ababa: Shama, 2007.
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  687. Illustrated with photographs and drawings, the book provides detailed descriptions of the paintings from eighteen churches in the Ethiopian highlands, plans showing the location of the paintings, and summaries of the legends of the Ethiopian saints portrayed and miracles attributed to the Virgin Mary.
  688. Find this resource:
  689. Horowitz, Deborah E., ed. Ethiopian Art: The Walters Art Museum. Lingfield, UK: Millennium, 2001.
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  691. This is a well-illustrated volume on Ethiopian art owned by the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. It consists primarily of metalwork crosses, illuminated manuscripts, and painted icons that were used in the rituals of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
  692. Find this resource:
  693. Powne, Michael. Ethiopian Music, an Introduction: A Survey of Ecclesiastical and Secular Ethiopian Music and Instruments. London: Oxford University Press, 1968.
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  695. This book is the result of a PhD dissertation based on two years of research in Ethiopia. It includes information about traditional Ethiopian music. The focus is on the music of the Hamitic-Semitic highland people. It covers musical instruments, secular music, and ecclesiastical music.
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  697. Ramos, Manuel João, and Isabel Boavida, eds. The Indigenous and the Foreign in Christian Ethiopian Art: On Portuguese-Ethiopian Contacts in the 16th–17th Centuries. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate, 2004.
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  699. This collection of papers focuses on the history of Ethiopia and the complexities of cultural and religious encounters between Ethiopia and Europe. It includes papers on architecture and urbanism, icon and mural paintings, and decorative arts.
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  701. Silverman, Raymond A., ed. Ethiopia: Traditions of Creativity. East Lansing: Michigan State University Museum, 1999.
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  703. The well-illustrated book presents the work of fifteen contemporary Ethiopian artists and essays on Ethiopia’s artistic traditions by twelve scholars. The emphasis is on baskets, paintings, jewelry, woodwork, sorghum-stalk models, pottery, textiles, and fiber, wood, and gourd containers.
  704. Find this resource:
  705. Sumner, Claude. Oromo Wisdom Literature: Volume II: Songs, Collection and Analysis. Addis Ababa: Gudina Tumsa Foundation, 1997.
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  707. The author translates into English hundreds of Oromo songs that were previously available only to speakers of Afan Oromo. There is also considerable background information and explanation of the meaning of the songs.
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