Environmental Change, Food Crises and Violence in Dassanech, Southern Ethiopia

This paper examines pastoral conflicts in Dassanech area, Southern Ethiopia, against the background of environmental change and food insecurity. The study reveals a relationship between environmental stress and the escalation of inter-ethnic pastoral conflicts in the area. Nevertheless, pastoral conflicts in Dassanech are complex and strongly challenge the idea of a direct causal link between concrete environmental factors and specific conflict incidents. Socio-cultural and economic factors cause or trigger conflicts independently or in conjunction with ecological processes. Furthermore, infrastructure and large-scale agricultural development project are likely to influence the social configuration in the Omo River basin and therefore, possibly, also local conflict dynamics. The paper argues that local social and cultural factors play an important role for conflict action, and that, therefore, the study of resource conflicts must not be reduced to economic, agricultural, and ecological aspects.Das Papier analysiert Konflikte zwischen Gruppen mobiler Tierhalter_innen in Dassanech, Südathiopien, im Zusammenhang mit Umweltwandel und Ernährungsunsicherheit. Die Studie verweist auf eine Beziehung zwischen Umweltveränderungen und der Eskalation von inter-ethnischen Konflikten im Untersuchungsgebiet. Gleichzeitig betont der Autor, dass Intergruppenkonflikte zwischen mobilen Tierhalter_innen komplexe Phänomene sind und kein unmittelbarer Kausalzusammenhang zwischen ökologischen Faktoren und Gewalthandeln besteht. Gesellschaftlich-kulturelle und ökonomische Faktoren verstärken und veursachen Konflikte unabhängig von oder in Wechselwirkung mit ökologischen Prozessen. Darüber hinaus beeinflussen in der Region Infrastrukturprojekte sowie die Entwicklung großflächiger Landwirtschaft die sozialen Bedingungen und infolge möglicherweise auch die Konfliktdynamiken. Gebre Yntiso argumentiert, dass lokale soziale und kulturelle Faktoren eine bedeutende Rolle für Konflikthandeln spielen und Konflikte um natürliche Ressourcen deshalb nicht auf ökonomische und (agrar-)ökologische Aspekte reduziert werden dürfen

Reality checks: the state of civil society organizations in Ethiopia

The general literature on the state of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Ethiopia gives the impression that CSOs have been rendered dysfunctional by the restrictive law passed in 2009. While considerable attention has been given to the devastating effects of the CSO law on human rights groups, the successful stories of the overwhelming majority of organisations engaged in development and service delivery have been overlooked. The law does limit the space for CSOs working on human rights and governance and it is legitimate and ethical to challenge the restrictive provisions on constitutional, legal, moral and/or practical grounds. However, it is equally important to recognize the continued operations of numerous CSOs, their contributions to national development priorities, their innovativeness in dealing with sensitive rights issues, the role of donors in supporting CSOs and the responses of the government to the request for a more enabling environment. This paper contains contextualized arguments based on empirical data as reality check on the current state of CSOs in Ethiopia.Keywords: civil society organizations; regulatory frameworks; service delivery and development; human rights and advocacy; Ethiopi

AREA STUDIES APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF THE ENVIRONMENT, LIVELIHOODS, AND LOCAL PRAXIS IN ASIA AND AFRICA: HISTORY AND PROGRESS AT KYOTO UNIVERSITY AND ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY

This is the introductory paper to "Environment, Livelihoods, and Local Praxis in Asia and Africa" and it focuses on the approaches to Area Studies currently used at Kyoto University, Japan, and Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, with special reference to their historical background and progress. A formal program in Asian and African Area Studies was established at Kyoto University in the Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies (ASAFAS) in 1998, and it has produced several Ph.D. graduates. The Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology (SOSA) at Addis Ababa University was established in 1962, and the MA program in Social Anthropology (SOAN) was launched in 1990. Whereas SOSA studies focus mainly on anthropological and sociological studies within Ethiopia, ASAFAS covers Asian and African countries. The background to these two institutions, their establishment and accomplishments, and the thematic focus and geographic coverage are overviewed. Finally, the organization of this volume and the contents of each paper are summarized

ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE AND ROAD TRAFFIC IN RURAL ETHIOPIA: THE CASE OF SOUTH OMO ZONE

MNGD Special issue 04: Making Networks for Glocal Developmen

DIFFERENTIAL REESTABLISHMENT OF VOLUNTARY AND INVOLUNTARY MOGRANTS: THE CASE OF METEKEL SETTLERS IN ETHIOPIA

Voluntary and involuntary resettlements are distinguished on the bases of the decision-making power of migrants, their willingness to leave their original residence, the presence of push/pull factors, and the age make-up of relocatees. The distinction addresses the conditions and behaviors of potential migrants prior to their relocation. However, much remained unknown about the conduct of voluntary and involuntary settlers during the critical period of reestablishment in the new environment. In 1998/99, the mid-1980s settlers in the Metekel resettlement area, Western Ethiopia, were studied with the objective to investigate, compare, and contrast their adaptation experiences. Certain economic indicators believed to reflect successful reestablishment were used for the comparison. Despite the fact that the resettlement authorities treated all settlers alike, most voluntary migrants appeared materially better off than most involuntary settlers. These differential readjustment experiences thus suggest that the manner of resettlement may determine the pace and degree of successful reestablishment. Policymakers and resettlement planners should, therefore, recognize that the disruptive effects of forced displacement could be deep-rooted, far-reaching, and enduring

Ethnic Boundary Making in East Africa: Rigidity and Flexibility among the Nyangatom People

The concepts of inclusion and exclusion have been widely used to explain the strategies of making ethnic boundaries. However, some studies have indicated the existence of unique features (such as boundary overlaps and blurriness) that do not necessarily fit into the inclusion-exclusion binary divide. Moreover, the strategies of boundary making cannot be understood without knowledge about the underlying conceptualization of ethnic identity. With these complex issues in mind, the author of this paper examines ethnic boundary making strategies in East Africa by focusing on the Nyangatom people and their eight neighbors residing in three countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan. Among the Nyangatom, elements of both essentialism and constructivism are used in conceptualizing ethnic identity. This enabled the society to employ multiple boundary making strategies with different ethnic groups simultaneously. The article reveals how the rules of rigidity and flexibility have been harnessed and harmonized to promote Nyangatom’s strategic interests: keeping control over scarce resources, maintaining the balance of power, and ensuring continuity as a group