A pragmatic high modernism? rural development and state building in the Ethiopian lowlands, c. 1960–2019.

Abstract

Large scale agricultural projects driven by a high modernist ideology have been closely interlinked with the process of state building at the Ethiopian lowland frontier since the second half of the twentieth century. This paper provides a diachronic analysis of the political economy of agricultural development and the associated frontier effect in the western and north-eastern lowlands of the country across three different political regimes. A comparative assessment of these patterns suggests that the high modernist paradigm should be applied with some qualification to the agenda of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), the coalition that ruled Ethiopia from 1994 to 2019. The EPRDF was far more pragmatic than its predecessors; the oscillation between different degrees of state intervention was based upon past experiences of success and failure in the territorialization of state power in contested borderlands.

Un haut modernisme pragmatique? Développement rural et construction étatique dans les terres basses éthiopiennes, c. 1960–2019

Des projets agricoles à grande échelle animés par une forte idéologie moderniste ont été étroitement liés au processus de construction de l'État à la frontière des plaines éthiopiennes depuis la seconde moitié du XXe siècle. Cet article propose une analyse diachronique de l'économie politique du développement agricole et de l'effet frontière associé dans les basses terres de l'Ouest et du Nord-Est du pays à travers trois régimes politiques différents. Une évaluation comparative de ces modèles suggère que le paradigme hautement moderniste devrait être appliqué avec une certaine réserve à l'ordre du jour du Front démocratique révolutionnaire du peuple éthiopien (FDRPE), la coalition qui a dirigé l'Éthiopie de 1994 à 2019. Le FDRPE était beaucoup plus pragmatique que ses prédécesseurs; l'oscillation entre différents degrés d'intervention de l'État était basée sur des expériences passées de succès et d'échec dans la territorialization du pouvoir de l'État dans des régions frontalières contestées.

Keywords:

• Ethiopia
• high modernism
• rural development
• political economy
• state building

Mots-clés:

• Ethiopie
• haut modernisme
• développement rural
• économie politique
• construction étatique

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Statement of Ethics

At the time this study was conducted, the University of Palermo did not require ethical approval to be sought for this type of research.

Notes

1 National Archives and Library of Ethiopia (NALE), 134.45, Felleke Dagne to Dejazmach Dereje Makonnen, 3 Mas. 1949 Ethiopian Calendar (EC).

2 Imperial Ethiopian Government, Report on Survey of the Awash River Basin, General Report, Food and Agricultural Organization, 1965, 31.

3 NALE, 134.45, Felleke Dagne to Dejazmach Dereje Makonnen, 3 Mas. 1949, EC.

4 NALE, 029.18, Wollo governorate to vice-Police Chief, 1-3-1960 (EC).

5 The National Archives of the United Kingdom (TNA), FCO 31/795, Aide Memoire to Sir Denis Greenhill, 4 June 1971; Institute of Ethiopian Studies (IES), TPSC managing agents annual report 1966/67, p. 15

6 TNA, FO 371/165325, Ja 1331/5, from British Embassy in Addis to Boothby, 12 November 1960; FO 371/138085, VA 1331/6, from Ashe to British Embassy (1331/62), December 19, 1962.

7 NALE, 029.18, Meeting between Hamadi Yayyo, Fitawrari Mamo Seyum, Habte Wolde Selassie, 20-2-1960 EC.

8 NALE, 17.2.81.06, Ali Mirah to Haile Selassie, 3/9/1958 E.C.

9 TNA, FCO 31/2103, secret from Palmer, 2 May 1977.

10 NALE, 17.2.81.06, Hanfare Ali Mirah to Colonel Belachew, 14/2/1967 EC.

11 TNA, AY 4/2647, FAO/IBRD cooperative program, Project Identification Mission to the Northwestern Lowlands Region of Ethiopia, 20/68/Eth 2, 14 November 1968, 5; 13.

12 See also: TNA, FO 1043/79, Asmara to Foreign Office, 14 February 1966.

13 TNA, FO 1043/78, Eritrea Vol. I, Confidential Report from Campbell, 07/10/1967.

14 TNA, FCO 51/76, Ethiopia-Sudanese Relations, British Consulate, Asmara, 3 July 1968.

15 NALE, 172330 01, Vice-Ministry of the Pen to Ministry of Interior, 4-07-1963 E.C. ; Ministry of Interior to Ministry of Finance, 7-07-1963 E.C.

16 National Archives and Record Administration (NARA), RG 59, Box 468, AGR 11-1, Rabida to SecState.

17 NALE, 172353 04, Memorandum on Ethio-Sudanese relations, p. 1.

18 NALE, Box 172.3.30, Folder 1657.1, Memorandum of Conversation between General Kebbede Guebre, and H. E. Osman Abdallah Ahmid, 28 October 1971, 2.

19 NALE, 172351, Begemder Police to Begemder governor, 28 /12/1965 E. C.

20 Gondar Provincial Archives (GPA), Box 129, Folder G8-6-28, Report from Dabat Awraja governor 3/4/1975 E.C.

21 GPA, Box 33, Folder 5/33, Ministry for State Farms to Begemder, 18/03/1972 E.C.

22 GPA, Box 129, Folder G8-6-28, Dabat Awrajia to Gondar, 12/07/1977 E.C; Hurgeisa Shiferaw to Gondar, 17/8/1967 E.C.

23 GPA, Box 129, Commander 7th Brigade to Gondar, 20/11/1976 E.C.

24 TNA, FCO 31/2103, Secret, from Palmer, 2 May 1977.

25 GPA, Box 48, Tchelga Awrajia, Metemma woreda governor to Begemder, 20/01/1974 E.C.

26 GPA, Box 129, Folder G8-6-28, Report prepared by Dabat Awrajia governor 03/04/1975 E.C.