Making and Unmaking of the Nation State and Ethnicity in Modern Ethiopia
A study on the History of Silte People
2003 Volume 2003 Issue 63 Pages 1-15
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2003 Volume 2003 Issue 63 Pages 1-15
Since the end of 19th century, it was politically imperative for Ethiopia to build a modern state with a unified nation. However, after three decades of civil war, Ethiopia was transformed into a “federation of ethnic groups” in an attempt to establish a democratic political framework.
Ethnicity in Africa is often understood as something essentially related to the autonomy of peoples and their cultures. Ironically, the new order in Ethiopia gave rise to “politicized ethnicity” as all the ethnic groups (or the “nations, nationalities and peoples” according to the official term) must be recognized by and work with the ruling party.
This paper tries to explain the ambiguous relationship between the state system and ethnicity in contemporary Ethiopia through a study of the history of Silte people. Traditionally, the Silte are a Muslim people sharing perceived genealogical ties. They are the descendants of a Muslim leader who participated in the historic military expedition against Christian Abyssinia in the 16th century. However, after the political and economic incorporation of the Silte into the modern Ethiopian state in the late 19th century, they have emerged as part of the Gurage people, who were recognized as the most industrious “ethnic group” among the Ethiopian nationals. Finally, under the federal state system, the ruling party recognized the Silte as a “nationality” totally distinct from the Gurage.
The Gurage were often seen as an ethnic group with strong solidarity, but their emergence was closely related to the state ideology of the 20th century Ethiopia. In other words, the Gurage were “created” as the bearer of the national economy of modern Ethiopia. On the other hand, the formation of contemporary Silte identity was not totally dictated by the state authority. Rather, it was a sort of hegemonic process in which the state ideology interplays with people's activities, resulting in the formation of a new “nationality”.
