"In this gracefully written book Dr. Eva Poluha wrestles with important issues of Ethiopian political culture and cultural continuity and transmission in general. Drawing upon her years of experience in the country, as well as the data from this school ethnography, she has produced a stimulating and thought-provoking work for those interested in problems of cross-cultural education as well as in Ethiopia." -- Herbert S. Lewis, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-MadisonChildren play a vital role as a source of information on politics but have been neglected as political actors in research contexts. In this study, children are used as a window to an Ethiopian society where hierarchical relations persist, despite the numerous political and administrative transformations of the past century. With data gathered through participant observation the book examines how young, Addis Abeba school children learn to adapt to and reproduce relations of superordinaton or subordination based on gender, age, strength and social position. The children's experiences are viewed in the historical context of state-citizen relations where hierarchy and obsession with control have been and continue to be dominant. The discussion focuses on the power of continuity in the reproduction of cultural patterns and political behaviour, and on how change towards more egalitarian relations could come about.

The Power of Continuity: Ethiopia Through the Eyes of Its Children

Politics & Social Sciences

Poluha, Eva

Social Sciences

Nordic Africa Institute

This collection of essays is about the lives, ideas and modes of interaction of children in Ethiopia, against the background that in-depth knowledge of perceptions of cultural values and practices regarding children would contribute to improved work with them and to the promotion of their rights as children. The study is supported by Save the Children Sweden and Norway, and the essays are a collaboration between those bodies and the Department of Social Anthropology at Addis Ababa University. Some essays are based on Master theses from the Department, and others on fieldwork. Seminars and meetings formed part of the research with and about children. The editor provides a theoretical, methodological and ethical aspects overview, and makes proposals on possible new themes. The five other contributors cover Conceptualizations of Children and Childhood: The Case of Kolfe and Semen Mazegaja, Addis Ababa; Growing up in Town and in the Countryside in Amhara Society; Continuity and Change in the Lives or Urban and Rural Children: The Case of Two Schools in SNNPR; Conceptualizations of Children and Childhood in Bishoftu, Oromia; and Children in Ethiopian Media and School Textbooks.

The World of Girls and Boys in Rural and Urban Ethiopia

Forum for Social Studies

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Books by Poluha, Eva

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Poluha, Eva. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Power of Continuity: Ethiopia Through the Eyes of Its Children

The World of Girls and Boys in Rural and Urban Ethiopia