4 - Embattled Identity in Northeast Africa: A Comparative Essay
Corresponding Author(s) : Bahru Zewde
Afrika Zamani,
No. 11-12 (2004): Afrika Zamani: An Annual Journal of African History
Abstract
The Northeast African sub-region has been ridden with inter-state and intra- state conflicts since the beginning of the second half of the last century. And most of those conflicts have their roots in the clash of identities. In the pre- colonial period, language and religion constituted the major expressions of iden- tity. While Ethiopia and the Sudan evolved as a mosaic of diverse linguistic and religious groups, Somalia was characterized by relative homogeneity. Colonial rule created sharply defined international boundaries and partitioned some populations among two or more states. This state of affairs gave rise to irredentist movements, the most prominent two manifesting themselves in Eritrea and So- malia. Irredentism was abetted by the British policy of Greater Somalia, which led to a period of armed confrontation between Ethiopia and Somalia. Con- versely, in the Sudan, the British followed a deliberate policy of separating the South from the North; this was one of the factors behind the eruption of the civil war in the Sudan. While colonial rule might have sown the seeds for the numer- ous conflicts that have plagued the sub-region in the post-colonial period, the situation was aggravated by the assimilationist and integrationist ambitions of hegemonic regimes and the inability of liberation movements to aspire beyond the narrow confines of self-determination. The future salvation of the sub-re- gion seems to lie in the fostering of genuinely pluralistic societies that recognize the merits of multiple identities and aspire for a sub regional confederation rather than the continued veneration of the nation-state.
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- Andreas, E., 1994, ‘Why Ethio-Eritrean Relations Matter: A Plea for Future Political Affiliation’, in Amare Tekle, (ed), Eritrea and Ethiopia: From Conflict to Cooperation, Lawrenceville: Red Sea Press.
- Asiwaju, A., 1984, Partitioned Africans: Ethnic Relations across Africa’s International Boundaries, Lagos, London and New York: University of Lagos Press, C. Hurst & Co. and St. Martin’s Press.
- Bahru, Z., 2002, Pioneers of Change in Ethiopia: The Reformist Intellectuals of the Early Twentieth Century, Oxford, Athens and Addis Ababa: James Currey, Ohio University Press and Addis Ababa University Press.
- Brons, Maria H., 2001, Society, Security, Sovereignty and the State in Somalia: From Statelessness to Statelessness, Utrecht: International Books.
- Cassanelli, Lee V., 1982, The Shaping of Somali Society: Reconstructing the History of a Pastoral People, 1600-1900, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
- Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Central Statistical Authority, 1999, Statistical Abstract, Addis Ababa: Central Statistical Authority.
- Holt, P.M., and Daly, M.W., 1988, A History of the Sudan from the Coming of Islam to the Present Day, 4th ed. London and New York: Longman.
- IGAD website: www.igad.org.
- Laitin, David D. & Samatar, Said, 1987, Somalia: Nation in Search of a State, Boulder & London: Westview Press and Gower.
- Lesch, Ann Mosley, 1998, The Sudan—Contested National Identities, Bloomington & Oxford: Indiana University Press and James Currey.
- Samatar, S., 1986, ‘Ethio-Somali Conflict and its Regional Implications’, in Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on the Horn of Africa, New York: New School of Social Research.
- Taddesse, T., 1972, Church and State in Ethiopia, 1270–1527, Oxford: Clarendon. ‘Tampa Declaration’, communicated to me by Kidane Alemayehu.
- Tekle, Amare, 1994, ‘The Basis of Eritrean-Ethiopian Cooperation’, in Amare Tekle, (ed.), Eritrea and Ethiopia: From Conflict to Cooperation, Lawrenceville: Red Sea Press.
References
Andreas, E., 1994, ‘Why Ethio-Eritrean Relations Matter: A Plea for Future Political Affiliation’, in Amare Tekle, (ed), Eritrea and Ethiopia: From Conflict to Cooperation, Lawrenceville: Red Sea Press.
Asiwaju, A., 1984, Partitioned Africans: Ethnic Relations across Africa’s International Boundaries, Lagos, London and New York: University of Lagos Press, C. Hurst & Co. and St. Martin’s Press.
Bahru, Z., 2002, Pioneers of Change in Ethiopia: The Reformist Intellectuals of the Early Twentieth Century, Oxford, Athens and Addis Ababa: James Currey, Ohio University Press and Addis Ababa University Press.
Brons, Maria H., 2001, Society, Security, Sovereignty and the State in Somalia: From Statelessness to Statelessness, Utrecht: International Books.
Cassanelli, Lee V., 1982, The Shaping of Somali Society: Reconstructing the History of a Pastoral People, 1600-1900, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Central Statistical Authority, 1999, Statistical Abstract, Addis Ababa: Central Statistical Authority.
Holt, P.M., and Daly, M.W., 1988, A History of the Sudan from the Coming of Islam to the Present Day, 4th ed. London and New York: Longman.
IGAD website: www.igad.org.
Laitin, David D. & Samatar, Said, 1987, Somalia: Nation in Search of a State, Boulder & London: Westview Press and Gower.
Lesch, Ann Mosley, 1998, The Sudan—Contested National Identities, Bloomington & Oxford: Indiana University Press and James Currey.
Samatar, S., 1986, ‘Ethio-Somali Conflict and its Regional Implications’, in Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on the Horn of Africa, New York: New School of Social Research.
Taddesse, T., 1972, Church and State in Ethiopia, 1270–1527, Oxford: Clarendon. ‘Tampa Declaration’, communicated to me by Kidane Alemayehu.
Tekle, Amare, 1994, ‘The Basis of Eritrean-Ethiopian Cooperation’, in Amare Tekle, (ed.), Eritrea and Ethiopia: From Conflict to Cooperation, Lawrenceville: Red Sea Press.