LSE "Ethiopia: Identity Politics, Human Rights and Democratization". - 08-09.05.15

Posted: May, 2nd 2015 Contributor: Bilen Shifferaw,

Event organised by LSE Africa Initiative.

2014 marked the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Ethiopian Constitution and the 40th Anniversary of the 1974 Revolution. These are two watershed moments that radically re-oriented Ethiopian politics and redefined the form and structure of the Ethiopian state. Though the constitution is by no means a continuation of the Revolution, the latter has provided the ideological basis and the philosophical paradigm for the former.

Twenty years after the Revolution, the constitution proclaimed the coming into being of a new political community ‘founded on the rule of law, capable of ensuring a lasting peace, [and] guaranteeing a democratic order.’ It promised a radical break with the ills of the past and grounded the foundation of the new state in the liberal ideas of human rights and democracy. A fiercely centralized state is reconstituted as federal. Sovereignty is both devolved and divided and federating units granted the unprecedented authority to determine their political, economic, and cultural status. However, these radical guarantees are still being deferred and democracy is yet to come.

We want to seize these occasions as an opportunity to reflect on the legacies of these two constitutive moments. The conference will explore the most recurring theoretical and empirical issues that have dominated the Ethiopian political landscape from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.

The participation of a number of scholars from Ethiopia has been made possible thanks to the support of the LSE Africa Initiative.

DAY 1 AM: Friday 8 May 2015 - Alumni Theatre, New Academic Building, LSE

DAY 2 AM: Saturday 9 May 2015 - Room G.03, 32 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, LSE

Click here for provisional programme

Attending: There are a limited number of places available for participants who are not presenting, which will be allocated, via advance booking, on a first come first served basis. Prospective attendees should z.gillard@lse.ac.uk If you have a place you will be notified by email.

13 June 2014 at 2:00am - 13 June 2014 at 4:00am

Old Theatre, Old Building, London School of Economics, London

Price: FREE RSVP

Contact: z.gillard@lse.ac.uk