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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Social identity and economic well-being among the Gurage: some historical comparisons
Author:LeBel, PhillipISNI
Year:2011
Periodical:Journal of Ethiopian Studies (ISSN 0304-2243)
Volume:44
Pages:75-102
Language:English
Geographic term:Ethiopia
Subjects:Gurage
social development
social change
economic development
culture
identity
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/44326700
Abstract:This paper examines some factors that have driven economic and social change among the Gurage population in south-western Shoa province, Ethiopia. The key concern is how this change affects social identity and economic well-being, in particular of the Sabat Bét, or 'Seven House' population, and what this may portend for the future. No time-series data are available for Gurage country, but it can be inferred from the SNNPR (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region) data that life in this region has shown improvements over time. As to identity and social change in the future, it can be conjectured that: 1. migration will continue to alleviate pressure on land use in Gurage country; 2. local cultural identities will lose some of their historical significance; 3. traditional religious expressions such as 'Tchist', 'Damwamwit', and 'Bozhä' festivals, will come under greater pressure by the more dominant Orthodox Christianity and Islam; 4. traditional home industries will be on the wane; 5. traditional forms of governance such as 'Yajoka' will come under rising pressure from national legal systems; and 6. with the growth of remittances by emigrant Gurage, greater emphasis on cash crops will stretch the limits of local social organizations. Bibliogr., notes, ref. [ASC Leiden abstract]
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