Diversity and state-building in Ethiopia

In multi-ethnic Ethiopia, diversity has been a serious obstacleto statebuilding. In fact, the process of state-building hasbeen chequered with ethnic tensions, squabbles and conflicts.Although ethno-regional identity politics, at least in its mostviolent manifestation, is a relatively recent phenomenon inthe country, its seeds had been sown with the rise of the absolutiststate by the middle of the twentieth century. The politicalentrepreneurs of Ethiopia’s various communities have pursueddivergent ways of dealing with diversity. The dominant Amharafollowed an assimilationist policy (1889–1991); sincethe 1960s, the Eritreans and a section of theOromo politicalactors have opted for the secessionist route; and since themid-1970s, the Tigrayans have gone for the ‘accommodationist’alternative. Of the three choices that the political actorshave had, this article argues that the ‘accommodationist’path, despite its serious flaws, has effectively discreditedboth the assimilationist and secessionist options. Ethiopia’scurrent constitution may contain amendable articles. Its veryaccommodationist character, however, seems to make such amendmentdifficult, given the highly politicized nature of ethnicityin the country. In this sense, Ethiopia is permanently changedand the accommodationist formula is unavoidable in the processof state-building.     

Modern Turkey

Turkistan Tumult. By Aitchen K. Wu. With illustrations and 2 maps. 8½” × 5½”. Pp. xiii+279. Methuen and Co. 12s. 6d.

Soviets in the Arctic. An historical, economic and political study of the Soviet advance into the Arctic. By T. A. Taracouzio. 9½” × 6¼”. Pp. xvi+563. 7 maps. Macmillan. 1939. 32s. 6d.

Revealing India's Past. A Co‐operative Record of Archaeological Conservation and Exploration in India and Beyond. By Twenty‐two Authorities—British, Indian, and Continental. With a foreword by A. Foucher. Edited by Sir John Cumming, K.C.S.I., C.I.E., M.A. 8½” × 6¾”. Pp. xx+374. Thirty‐three plates and map. The India Society. 1939. 25s.

Islam. By Henri Masse. Translated from the French by Halide Edib. Pp. 270. Putnam. $2.50.

Petra, the Rock City of Edom. By Dr. A. M. Murray. Pp. x+210. Thirty‐two plates; two sketch maps. Blackic. 1939.     

Democracy in Modern Islamic Thought

Despite the hostility they exhibit towards each other, almost all Arab secularist and radical Islamists agree that democracy and Islam are irreconcilable, and that belief in one inevitably precludes belief in the other. In this article I will focus on the beliefs of the Islamist Rachid Ghannouchi regarding this issue. First I will examine his notion of how democracy can be achieved in an Islamic state. I will then explore issues of conflict that have arisen between traditional and modern Islamist thinking relating to the compatibility of democracy and Islam. Finally I will focus on two variables that are claimed to be major obstacles to liberal democracy in Muslim states: secularism and modernisation.     

Be like bees - the politics of mobilizing farmers for development in Tigray, Ethiopia

Based on long-term ethnographic research, this article analysesthe relations between local politics and farmers’ participationin rural development in Tigray (Ethiopia). It takes an actor-orientedapproach and focuses on local government officials and farmerrepresentatives, who mediate between the government agenciesthat undertake rural development programmes and the farmerswhom they address. To reach the target numbers of programmebeneficiaries, these local development brokers ‘mobilize’farmers to participate. They capitalize upon the historicallegitimacy of the 1975–91 revolution against the militaryDerg dictatorship in which the Tigray People's Liberation Front(TPLF), now heading the national government, and Tigray's ruralpopulation successfully joined forces. They revitalize farmers’collective memory of this alliance and reinvent the revolutionarygrassroots institutions through which it was realized. The effectsof mobilization on participation in development are most evidentamong farmers who are members of the TPLF. A TPLF-developmentnexus arises, structuring local political career opportunitiesalong the lines of development. The case study attempts to contributeto an empirical understanding of the entanglement of local politicsand local development brokerage in rural African societies.     

“无”的哲学的现代意义

19世纪末,尼采曾预言之后的两百年期间,基督教的"神已死"与虚无主义的出现。当今世界各个领域,皆呈现出一种"世纪末日"般的混乱状态,犹如尼采的预言。因此,文章首先站在宗教哲学的角度,探究当今世界各个领域走向混乱的根源究竟何在,进而论述由西田几多郎、久松真一、西谷启治所提出的"绝对无""东洋的无""空"的哲学在日本出现的必然性和历史意义。