The politics of ethnicity in Ethiopia : : actors, power and mobilisation under ethnic federalism / / by Lovise Aalen.

• Superior document: African social studies series ; v. 25
• TeilnehmendeR: Aalen, Lovise.
• Year of Publication: 2011
• Language: English
• Series: African social studies series ; v. 25.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (230 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.
• Other title: Preliminary Material /; Chapter One. Introduction: The Limits Of Institutions In Multiethnic Societies /; Chapter Two. ‘National Self-Determination’: Federalism The Ethiopian Way /; Chapter Three. The Historical Trajectories Of Local Ethnic Polities: The Sidama And The Wolayta /; Chapter Four. Ethnic Politics In Play: Implementing Self-Determination In A South Ethiopian Context /; Chapter Five. Crafting Ethnic Politics: The Formation Of Parties In Sidama And Wolayta /; Chapter Six. Dealing With Local Minorities: The Persistence Of Discriminatory Practices Under Ethnic Federalism /; Chapter Seven. Identities Or Resources At Stake? Controversies On National Self-Determination In Sidama And Wolayta /; Chapter Eight. Conclusion: The Facets Of Ethnic Federalism /; References /; Index /
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• ISBN: 1283161982; 9786613161987; 9004209379
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: by Lovise Aalen.

Most governments in Africa, seeing the political mobilisation of ethnicity as a threat, have rejected the use of ethnic differences as an explicit basis for political representation. The one prominent exception is Ethiopia, which since 1991 has imposed a system of ethnic-based federalism that offers each ethnic group the right of ‘self-determination’. This book provides a detailed empirical study of this system at work in the complex multiethnic environment of southern Ethiopia. It finds that ethnic self-rule, in combination with the power politics of an authoritarian regime, has produced both intended and unintended outcomes. While arguably easing large-scale ethnic conflicts, it has led to ‘ethnicisation’ of local socioeconomic disputes and to sharper inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic divides, often to the disadvantage of historically marginalised groups.