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18Th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Conference Reports Dereje Feyissa – Markus Virgil Hoehne: Borders and Borderlands as Resources in the Horn of Africa. Woodbridge 2010 The 18th(S ZÉLINGERInternational Balázs) Conference of Ethiopian Studies in Dirre Dawa:140 “Movements in Ethiopia, Ethiopia in Movement”, 29 October to 3 1 November 2012 Conference Reports th 1.The Introduction 18 International Conference of Ethiopian Studies in Dirre Dawa: On 29 “MovementsOctober to 3in November Ethiopia, Ethiopia 2012 the in 18Movement”,th International 29 October Conference to of Ethiopian3 November Studies (ICES18) 2012 (Wolbert was held SMIDT in –Dirre Chikage Dawa O BAin-S Ethiopia,MIDT) with the 144 leadingNational theme Workshop: “Movements „Socio-cultural in Ethiopia, Impact Ethiopia Assessment in Movement” of the Welqayt2. This city is located Sugarin the and east Irrigation of Ethiopia, Project”, a commercial 6 October city,2012, historically Mekelle University connected to Djibouti(M byITIKU railroad. Gabrehiwot) Around 300 researchers participated in this conference,150 whichThe Mikael was Iyasuheld Library:at venues Mekelle in Di Universityre Dawa AcquiresUniversity 2,500 (DDU) Books and from the the city administrationFamily buildingof the Late. Mikael Iyasu – Inauguration (AYELE Bekerie) 153 The conference was organized by the French Centre of Ethiopian Studies (CFEE),International Addis Workshop Ababa, theon DocumentationFrench research and institution Preservation in Ethiopia, of Ethiopian and the InstituteCultural of Ethiopian and Art Studies Heritage (IES) of ofthe Addis Haddis Ababa Alemayehu University, Cultural in cooperation and with DDU.Research As theInstitute, organizer Debre of Markosthe conference University, was 19 France, May 2012 with– Ana French CommitteeIllustrated having Conference been set up Report by the (CFEEManuel3, Rit AMOSwas originally) expected that1 55it wouldInternational be organized Workshop in France, on “Culture, but finally Environment it was decided and Development”to convene it in Dirre Dawa. atTheMekelle reason University, for this 15was March (1) the2012 scarcity (Yoko FofURUSAKI funds,) which caused 160 considerableFrom Ambivalence difficulties to Acceptance to organize – Internationalit in France, Conferenceand (2) considering on Azmari that the in Ethiopia, University of Hildesheim, 6 − 8 January 2012 ETTER 1 A Japanese(Andreas version Wof this conference) report is accessible on the internet, at the website1 of64 theWorksho Japan Associationp “On the for History Nilo-Ethiopian and Culture Studies of in the Kyoto Horn (JANES), of Africa” Japan at: Wolbert Smidt (ウォルバート・スミットMekelle Uni)versity, & Ôba Chikage17-18 March (大場千景 2011): 第 (Ca回国際エチオピアrsten HOFFMANN学会学術大会, JANES Newsletter / JANES ニュースレター, 21, p. 28-32 (http://www. janestudies.org/drupal- ELLNHOFER jp/node/165– Zeus). WeW thank Yoko )Furusaki, Mekelle University (member of the organizing166 committee of ICES18), for assisting in the translation of this text. 2 On the participation of researchers from Mekelle and the conceptional framework of the conference see: Wolbert Smidt: “Report on theResearch Participation and of ExpeditionStaff Members Reportsof Mekelle University at the 18th ICES, Dire Dawa, Oct./Nov. 2012”, in: voice, The Magazine of the College of Social Sciences and Languages, No. 10, [May] 2013, p. 20-22. – In the conference announcement AUE ofA Journey2011 the conferenceto Central theme and Westernwas described Tigray in these (Dietrich terms: R“The agreed) theme of the ICES169 18Did is the‘Movements gold of inthe Ethiopia Aksumites / Ethiopia originate in Movement’. in Tigray? This A themereport is onaimed at encouraging panel proposalsongoing and research subsequently on local paper traditions proposals of thatgold would mining deal in Tigraywith the issues of ‘movement’ in its widest sense. Not only studies on social, religious, political, cultural MIDT EBREMICHAEL movements(Wolbert are likely S to fit into, in collaborationthe theme, but alsowith any G focus on circulationNguse) of words, ideas 181 and peoples; the dynamics of contacts and exchanges; the effect of intellectual or economic change on societies, etc. Movement can also be understood in its concrete physical and spatial meaning encompassing travels, migrations and transportation of goodsResearch and commodities Abstracts at different scales. Dances and gestures are also movements.” 3Sel Chairedected by abstracts the CFEE of director research Dr projectsEloi Ficquet, in social and, after sciences the decision and humanitieswas made to convene it in Ethiopia, jointly chaired by Dr Ahmed Hassen, director of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies (honoraryat Mekelle chair: University Andreas Eshete, former president of AAU). 193 145 ITYOPIṢ vol. 2 (2012) 144 5 Conference Reports CFEE was located in Addis Ababa, it would be more feasible to organize it in Ethiopia. (3) In addition, organizing it in a regional universityDereje would Feyissa assure– Markus Virgil Hoehne: Borders and Borderlands as attention and recognition to the new academic landscape of EthiopiaResources which in the Horn of Africa. Woodbridge 2010 has gradually been forming outside Addis Ababa, where the conference(SZÉLINGER had Balázs) 140 already taken place regularly, and (4) from among the cities with new universities, Dirre Dawa was chosen as it has a deeply rooted historical Conference Reports relationship with France. th In the conference, researchers from Ethiopia, France,The Germany, 18 International Italy, Conference of Ethiopian Studies in Dirre Dawa: Japan, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Israel, Russia,“Movements the in Ethiopia, Ethiopia in Movement”, 29 October to Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland and Djibouti participated.3 November 2012 (Wolbert SMIDT – Chikage OBA-SMIDT) 144 Compared to past conferences whose participants were mainlyNational Europeans Workshop: and „Socio-cultural Impact Assessment of the Welqayt Americans, we observe a strong tendency of increased Ethiopian participation,Sugar and Irrigation Project”, 6 October 2012, Mekelle University which had already characterized the previous conferences in Hamburg(MITIKU (2003), Gabrehiwot) 150 Trondheim (2007) and Addis Ababa (2009). The Mikael Iyasu Library: Mekelle University Acquires 2,500 Books from the Family of the Late Mikael Iyasu – Inauguration (AYELE Bekerie) 153 2. Panels and plenary sessions 2.1. Panels International Workshop on Documentation and Preservation of Ethiopian After the opening ceremony on 29 October, presentations byCultural individual and Art Heritage of the Haddis Alemayehu Cultural and researchers were held from 30 October until 2 November in the panels.Research There Institute, Debre Markos University, 19 May 2012 – An was a total of 44 panels. These panels can be classified into sevenIllustrated research Conference Report (Manuel RAMOS) 155 themes: (a) Archaeology and physical anthropology – 4 panels;International (b) History Workshop and on “Culture, Environment and Development” archive studies – 8 panels; (c) Religious studies – 4 panels; (d) Anthropologyat Mekelle University, 15 March 2012 (Yoko FURUSAKI) 160 and various studies based on anthropological method – 10 panels; (e) From Ambivalence to Acceptance – International Conference on Azmari Development studies and current issues – 10 panels; (f) Linguistic and socio- linguistic studies – 5 panels; (g) Visual arts and cultural heritage – 3 inpanels Ethiopia,. University of Hildesheim, 6 − 8 January 2012 As there were about 300 paper presentations, it is not possible(Andreas to treat W ETTER) 164 them all here, but at least some of them will be mentioned.Worksho p In“On (a) the - History and Culture of the Horn of Africa” at Archaeology - there was a panel focusing on recent excavationsMekelle of pre Uni- versity, 17-18 March 2011 (Carsten HOFFMANN Aksumite archaeological sites and their findings, such as in Wuqro and– Zeus YehaW ELLNHOFERin ) 166 Tigray. In this panel, new insights were presented resulting from the excavations led by archaeologists of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI). The following two points were presented: (1) On the one hand, the Research and Expedition Reports society formed in the pre-Aksumite period (the Di’amat kingdom) was strongly marked by South Arabian culture, and on the other hand thereA Journey was a to distinct Central and Western Tigray (Dietrich RAUE) 169 indigenous culture which left its own mark, today discernibleDid the through gold of local the Aksumites originate in Tigray? A report on cultural-political elements in the inscriptions and material remains.ongoing These two research on local traditions of gold mining in Tigray elements came together to form an Ethio-Sabaic culture. (2) It was(Wolbert strongly SMIDT , in collaboration with GEBREMICHAEL Nguse) 181 underlined that the older hypothesis of a “Sabaean domination“ having been the basis for the Aksumite kingdom was going too far; rather, the culture of South Arabia and a local political system mutually intermingled and created the Research Abstracts basis for the formation of the Aksumite kingdom, of which many details are still unknown and some are becoming clearer just now. Selected abstracts of research projects in social sciences and humanities at Mekelle University 193 ITYOPIṢ vol. 2 (2012) 146145 ITYOPIṢ vol. 2 (2012) 5 Conference Reports In the area of (b) – History –, there were numerous presentations based on newDereje perspectives Feyissa – Markusand approaches. Virgil Hoehne For example,: Borders there and Borderlandswas
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