Wax and Gold: Tradition and Innovation in Ethiopian Culture

by Donald Nathan Levine

In Abyssinian poetry, the “wax” is the obvious meaning, the “gold” is the hidden meaning. In Wax and Gold, Donald N. Levine explores mid-to-late-twentieth-century Ethiopian society on the same two levels, using modern sociology and psychology to seek answers to the following questions: What is the nature of the traditional culture of the dominant ethnic group, the Amhara, and what are its enduring values? What aspects of modern culture interest this society and by what means has it sought to institutionalize them? How has tradition both facilitated and hampered Ethiopian efforts to modernize? Enriched by the use of Ethiopian literature and by Levine’s deep knowledge of and affection for the society of which he writes, Wax and Gold is both a scholarly and a personal work.

Genres: Ethiopia, Africa, History, Nonfiction, Anthropology

349 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

Reviews

[Bertrand · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving portrait full of those rare insights only the most dedicated and humane researchers could draw from what is often seen as an opaque and hard people. Not content to be one of the relatively few studies in the field (at least at time Levine wrote it) the book also demonstrate that the "pick-n-mix" approach, if done correctly, can meet the need of both the amateur and the specialist: history, ethnography and sociology meet in a convincing picture of the amharas, traditionals and moderns, past and present.
One may have only wished Levine steered away from the psychoanalitic model of chapter 6, which, tellingly and unlike the rest of the book, brings little to the table in terms of negotiating modernization.

[John Coatney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book probably deserves a higher rating, but it's dated, and some of the dated sociological/anthropological/psychological analysis was just distracting. It was extremely interesting, though, and Levine clearly did his homework: great level of detail in his analysis.

Wax and gold refers to the subtle way that Amhara Ethiopians have of talking, and of writing poetry. It is a great descriptor of their cultural personality in general: prizing cleverness, and of hiding hard truths in a gentle veneer. There was a lot of significant insight into how Amhara people are adjusting to modernity (although it's published in 1965, so it's also very interesting to hear his predictions regarding the future of Ethiopia).

I wouldn't recommend this to just any Ethiophile; it takes the kind who would also read the Silmarillion and the Lost Tales of Numenor.

[Thomas Feng · Rating 4 out of 5]

slow going at first but became a quick read as more of it gradually became relevant to my studies. i agree with other reviewers that the psychoanalytic perspectives are of most questionable use (as are its paltry descriptions of music) but much of the rest of it is illuminating indeed and at times very moving. written before the 1974 revolution, it appears truly prophetic. appears oft-cited in subsequent literature; i’ll be returning to this.

[C.R. Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of insights about the Amhara culture that still resonate today ... for my tastes it could only be better if written in a more engaging style as opposed to the very dry, academic prose that, at times, inhibited forward momentum for this reader. That said, the book is indispensable for any westerner trying to understand or come to terms with life in Ethiopia.

[John McCreery · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief research of this oldest ‘Christian’ country. A western sociologist looks at the complex history of the ancient civilization of Ethiopia. A frame on current unrest, brutality, and tribal antipathy.