September 2014 marks the fortieth anniversary of the overthrow of Ethiopia’s Imperial regime, a seminal event in the global history of revolutions. The anniversary offers an occasion to take stock of and interpret the social effects and meaning of the revolution. The assumption is that social dynamics set in motion by the revolution are still in function in today’s Ethiopia and may continue to generate novel social outcomes in the future.
Academic and non-academic interest in the Ethiopian revolution is undergoing a revival, as witnessed by the recent publication of a number of Amharic and English books on the subject – e.g. Messay Kebede 2011; Hiwot Teffera 2012; Kahsay Abraha 2013; Fikreselassie Wogderess 2013; Mohamed Yimam 2013; Solomon Ejigu 2014. In general, however, scholarship on the Ethiopian revolution stops short of offering any interpretation of the meaning of the revolution beyond its immediate causes and effects. So far, few serious attempts have been made to interpret the revolution as a process that goes beyond the era of the Derg. This workshop aims at filling this void by offering historical interpretations of the lasting social effects and significance of the Ethiopian revolution.
The central research questions that authors should engage with are the following: what are the surpassed and lasting social effects attributable to the revolution? What impact has the revolution had on different social relations and categories (to be identified in individual papers)?
The conference aims to bring together senior and junior scholars, including PhD and post-doc students. Prominent scholars have been invited to present their research on the following topics: land/rural relations; national/ethnic relations; class relations; external/foreign relations; youth; militants. This call for papers is aimed at research on topics such as the following:
- Gender relations
- Eritrea
- Political relations
- Labour relations
- Diaspora/Migration
- Economic development
- Civil society
The Conference will take place at the International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam, on 14 November 2014
The deadline for abstracts is July 30, 2014. Abstracts should not exceed 300 words. Abstracts and queries should be sent to Andreas Admasie: andreas.admasie@iisg.nl
Participation is free of charge. Very limited funds for covering related expenses may be available for post-Doc and PhD students.
The outcome of the conference will be published either as a special issue of an academic journal or as an edited book.
http://socialhistory.org/en/events/cfp-conference-ethiopian-revolution