Ethiopia in Theory: Revolution and Knowledge Production, 1964-2016

Historical Materialism #201

by Elleni Centime Zeleke

Ethiopia in Theory examines the literature of the Ethiopian student movement of the 1960s in tandem with the movement's afterlife, to reflect on the connection between theory and practice in the context of dramatic social change.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Ethiopia, Africa, Eastern Africa

281 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2020

Reviews

[Canyon Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really weird conclusion that sort of lost me. The discussion on Ethiopian students and state development made sense, as did the continuities posited between the student movement and the 2005 election. What is missing is any analysis of the Derg, which i believe would have added a lot of clarity to the discussion of character-continuity. Could it not be that the student intellectuals that fled under the Derg returned as what amounts to rational (read: non revolutionary or once revolutionary) elder statesmembers? Or that their relevance in the early-70s to 2000s is more a statement on the lack of, or even de- development of Ethiopia under the Derg?

The book ends with a lengthy theo-political discussion that was somewhat relevant but also felt really displaced. I began to wonder if there would be a connection to the earlier book, and was surprised to find this was not the case. Odd book