Ethiopia / Paulos Milkias

Object Details

Author

Milkias, Paulos

Contents

About the author -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1: Geography -- Ethiopia as the roof of Africa -- Ethiopia's geophysical mosaic -- Geology -- Ethiopia as a water tower -- Temperature -- Vegetation and land use -- Rainfall -- Population distribution and density -- Drought-prone zones -- Rural food shortage and famine -- 2: History -- Ethiopia: Mystical land of antiquity -- Ethiopia: Cradle of humankind -- Oldest hominid habitat-afar, Ethiopia -- Ethiopia as the cradle of human civilization -- Ethiopian history: Semitist versus Africanist paradigm -- Ethiopia and the Egyptian pharaohs -- Cushitic Kingdom of Damot -- Rise of Axum -- Axum at the twilight -- Restoration of the Solomonian Dynasty -- Era of the princes -- Reign of Emperor Tewodros, 1855-1868 -- Reign of Emperor Yohannes IV -- Emperor Menelik and Ethiopia's historic victory at the Battle of Adwa -- Lij Iyasu and the vacant throne -- Haile Selassie Period I: Ras Safari's regency and emperorship, 1916-1936 -- Fascist invasion and the Ethiopian resistance -- Haile Selassie Period II: 1941-1974 -- Status of the emperor in the constitution -- Japanization and Ethiopia's new political structure -- Nature of the political system after 1941 -- Revised constitution against a backdrop of a modernizing Feudalism -- Abortive coup d'etat of 1960 -- Ethiopian Revolution of 1974 -- Derg regime -- Mengistu's ascent -- Radical civilian parties: white and red terror -- Guerrilla challenge -- Land to the tiller and mass organizations -- Ethiopian workers' party and Marxist political structure -- Clout of political cadres -- Rise of the EPLF and TPLF -- End of the Derg and the beginning of new era -- 3: Government And Politics -- Rise of the ruling EPRDF -- Governing team -- Ethnic Federalism -- Constitution and the federal structure -- Democratization and contemporary Ethiopian politics -- 2005 and 2010 elections -- Regional governments -- Autonomous urban administrative regions -- Political parties -- Ethiopian Foreign Policy -- Ethiopia and Somalia -- Eritrea and Ethiopia: from war to war -- 4: Economy -- Economic overview -- Historical background of the Ethiopian economy -- Sectoral look at the Ethiopian economy -- Agriculture -- Mining -- Industry -- Tourism -- Labor -- Finance -- Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's report on the economy --

5: Society -- Religion and thought -- Pre-monotheistic Ethiopia -- Ethiopia and the Greek connection -- Ethiopia and the Judaic connection -- Beta-Israel -- Christianity as the official religion of the Ethiopian realm -- Ethiopian orthodox as the protector of South Arabian Christians -- Tewahedo Christianity during the Zagwe Dynasty -- Episode of Prester John -- Ethiopian Christianity and the Solomonian Dynasty -- Ethiopian Orthodox sects -- Autocephaly -- Catholicism in Ethiopia -- Protestantism -- Ecumenism -- Ethiopia's place in the division between Eastern and Western churches today -- Islam in Ethiopia -- Rise of powerful regional Muslim states -- Ahmed Gragn's conquests -- Zara Yaqob and Ethiopian philosophy in Hatata -- Social classes and ethnicity -- Feudal power structure -- Class structure under Feudalism -- Traditional political elite -- Social class and reform -- Haile Selassie and the Western-educated elite -- New social class that emerged under Haile Selassie's modernizing Feudalism -- Class in embryo -- Adirbays -- Quiescent rebel -- Die-hard revolutionaries -- New class (post-1991) -- Ethnicity and language -- Southern peoples and nationalities -- Observable realities about ethnicity in Ethiopia -- Women and marriage -- Organization of Ethiopian women -- Education -- Traditional education -- Western education from 1905 to the end of the Derg era -- Preprimary and primary education -- Academic secondary schools -- Higher education -- Educational research -- Educational administration and finance -- Nonformal education -- Western education since the EPRDF assent to power in 1991 -- 6: Culture -- Language -- Language policy -- Ethiopic alphabet -- Meeting people -- Family -- Hospitality and food -- Clothing -- Time -- Tours -- Useful phrases -- Everyday useful words -- Numbers -- Days of the week -- Festivals -- Words and phrases in Tigrigna -- Words and phrases in the Oromo language -- Days of the week in Afaan Oromo -- Numbers in Afaan Oromo -- Etiquette -- Greetings -- General rules of Ethiopian etiquette -- Business etiquette in Ethiopia -- Literature -- Historical literature -- Ge'ez literature (religious) -- Amharic literature (secular) -- Art, architecture, and craft -- Ethiopian crosses and other paraphernalia -- Crowns of Ethiopian emperors-axum -- Music -- Food -- Teff-injera -- Berbere -- Neter qebe -- Doro wat -- Zilzil alecha -- Veggie recipes -- Coffee ceremony -- Sports and leisure -- Camping in Ethiopia: a truly great outdoors -- Greater Kudu -- Conventional sporting -- Soccer in Ethiopia -- Track and field -- Other sports -- Popular culture -- Pop music -- Dance -- Theater -- Film -- 7: Contemporary Issues -- Democratization -- Ethnicity and ethnic federalism -- Religious conflict -- Human rights -- Civil War -- Terrorism -- Drought and food security -- Population explosion and family planning -- Gender issues and female circumcision -- Sex work -- HIV/AIDS -- Trafficking -- Health -- Water -- Prison and detention center conditions -- Capital punishment -- Urban sprawl and street children -- Adoption -- Glossary -- Facts and figures -- Holiday chart -- Country-related organizations -- Annotated bibliography of Ethiopia -- Thematic Index -- Index

Summary

Synopsis: Ethiopia is an exhaustive treatment of this ancient country's history coupled with an exploration of the nation today. Arranged by broad topics, the book provides an overview of Ethiopia's physical and human geography, its history, its system of government, and the present economic situation. But the book also presents a picture of contemporary society and culture and of the Ethiopian people. It also discusses art, music, and cinema; class; gender; ethnicity; and education, as well as the language, food, and etiquette of the country. Readers will learn such fascinating details as the fact that coffee was first domesticated in Ethiopia more than 10,000 years ago and that modern Ethiopia comprises 77 different ethnic groups with their own distinct languages.

2011

C2011

Type

Books

Physical description

xxvi, 544 p. : ill., maps ; 26 cm

Place

Ethiopia

Smithsonian Libraries

Topic

History

Politics and government

Economic conditions

Social life and customs

Civilization

Record ID

siris_sil_987684

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0