Prunier, Gérard and Ficquet, Eloi (editors)

London: Hurst, 2015.

416 p.

 

Table of contents:

1. « Ethiopians in the Twenty-First Century: The Structure and Transformation of the Population », by Éloi Ficquet and Dereje Feyissa.

2. « The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) and the Challenges of Modernity », by Stéphane Ancel and Éloi Ficquet.

3. « The Ethiopian Muslims: Historical Processes and Ongoing Controversies », by Éloi Ficquet.

4. « Go Pente! The Charismatic Renewal of the Evangelical Movement in Ethiopia », by Emanuele Fantini.

5. From Pan-Africanism to Rastafari: African American and Caribbean ‘Returns’ to Ethiopia », Giulia Bonacci.

6. « Monarchical Restoration and Territorial Expansion: The Ethiopian State in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century », by Shiferaw Bekele.

7. « The Era of Haile Selassie », by Christopher Clapham.

8. « The Ethiopian Revolution and the Derg Regime », by Gérard Prunier.

9. « The Eritrean Question », by Gérard Prunier.

10. « The Tigray People’a Liberation Front (TPLF) ». by Medhane Tadesse.

11. « Federalism, Revolutionary Democracy and the Developmental State, 1991–2012 », by Sarah Vaughan.

12. « Elections and Politics in Ethiopia Since 2005 », by Patrick Gilkes.

13. « Making Sense of Ethiopia’s Regional Influence », by Medhane Tadesse.

14. « The Ethiopian Economy: The Developmental State vs. the Free Market », René Lefort.

15. « Addis Ababa and the Urban Renewal in Ethiopia », by Perrine Duroyaume.

16. « The Meles Zenawi Era: From Revolutionary Marxism to State Developmentalism », by Gérard Prunier.

Description:

When we think of Ethiopia we tend to think in cliches: Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, the Falasha Jews, the epic reign of Emperor Haile Selassie, the Communist Revolution, famine and civil war. Among the countries of Africa it has a high profile yet is poorly known. How- ever all cliches contain within them a kernel of truth, and occlude much more. Today’s Ethiopia (and its painfully liberated sister state of Eritrea) are largely obscured by these mythical views and a secondary literature that is partial or propagandist. Moreover there have been few attempts to offer readers a comprehensive overview of the country’s recent history, politics and culture that goes beyond the usual guidebook fare. Understanding Contemporary Ethiopia seeks to do just that, presenting a measured, detailed and systematic analysis of the main features of this unique country, now building on the foundations of a magical and tumultuous past as it struggles to emerge in the modern world on its own terms.

Reviews:

‘This volume on all things Ethiopian by a group of noted experts is a tour de force. Focussing on the nature of power in Ethiopian state and society, the contributors provide powerful and provocative accounts that chart the process of rapid societal change as Ethiopia assumes its place as a rising regional power. In doing so they uncover a new model of economic development and state-building, pointing to the importance of the Ethiopian state in conditioning violence, social change and economic accumulation. A must-read.’ — Will Reno, Professor, Director of the Program of African Studies, Northwestern University

‘Ethiopia can no longer be caricatured or mythologised. No one could have envisioned the extent to which this country would be transformed nearly twenty-five years after the end of its long civil war. To help us make sense of the dynamics shaping contemporary Ethiopia, this much-needed volume brings together important insights from the world’s most notable experts on the country’s culture, history, politics, and society. They offer a comprehensive and accessible account that should be widely read.’ — Leonardo R. Arriola, University of California, Berkeley.