Mitigation and adaptation projects will lead to increased population displacement, calling for new research and attention to past lessons.
A funeral is a costly occasion. This paper studies indigenous insurance institutions developed to cope with the high costs of funerals, based on evidence from rural areas in Tanzania and Ethiopia. These institutions are based on well-defined rules and regulations, often offering premium-based insurance for funeral expenses. Increasingly, they are also offering other forms of insurance and credit to cope with hardship. The paper argues that the characteristics and inclusiveness of these institutions make them well-placed as models to broaden insurance provision and other developmental activities in these communities. The history of these institutions is characterised by a resistance to attempts of political capture, and helps to understand their apparent resistance to engage more broadly with NGOs and government agencies. As a result, any attempt to expand their activities will have to be done cautiously.
This article explores divergent perspectives on female early marriage and genital modification in Ethiopia. It contrasts international norms and research evidence with local understandings, the latter focusing on the part these practices play in securing family social heritage, wellbeing of girls, and their transition to adulthood. The article explains persistence of these practices in the face of campaigns to eliminate them and questions assumptions behind the international child protection model. It points to unintended adverse consequences of interventions that do not pay sufficient regard to local meanings and social relations, and suggests how policy might be approached differently.
Problem Statement: Mortality from AIDS has been increasing at an alarming rate in Ethiopia, especially in urban centers, to the great detriment of households and communities. The epidemic causes stress or even collapse of social institutions performing valued community functions. One such institution threatened by the HIV/AIDS epidemic is the iddir, a form of indigenous social insurance whose main function is to help members during bereavement. Results: The historical review suggests that iddirs were developed by migrants to Addis Ababa in the early part of the twentieth century and spread rapidly from the time of the Italian occupation, with increasing use of currency, formalization, diffusion, and transformation from mono- to polyethnic voluntary organizations. The review considers the relationships of iddirs with the state during three successive regimes, noting that despite considerable potential for partnership, iddirs have tended not to become involved with development activities such as education and healthcare services or community development, fearing state interference. The surveys showed that while none of the iddir leaders had heard of an iddir going bankrupt due to increased mortality and payment overload, all the study iddirs reported decreases in their deposits in recent years. Mortality increase in the younger population was the perceived reason for these financial constraints. Strategies used to cope with the increased mortality problem include increasing membership contributions and premiums and renting out equipment.
This article questions the prevalent use of the ‘caste’ concept to describe marginalised occupational minorities in the south-western Ethiopian context. Three types of objection are discussed: ideological, genetic and structural, relating to cultural, historical and social factors respectively. In ideological terms, marginalisation is generally not justified through a coherent religious philosophy; myths are often absent, are seldom elaborate and do not explain a differential ranking of occupational groups. Notions of pollution are prevalent and usually presented in the dominant idiom of food transgressions; but the farming majority is not considered pure. In genetic terms, none of the existing models explains the origins of all marginalised groups. Whereas the ‘remnants’ model is largely discredited, and the ‘internal differentiation’ model currently favoured, this article emphasises the importance of migration, which is intimately linked with non-farming occupations as well as with marginalised and minority statuses. The lack of a single cross-culturally valid model, combinations of explanations, and differences among various types of occupational groups within and between groups, all militate against a ‘caste’ interpretation of the origins of marginalised groups in south-western Ethiopia. In structural terms ‘caste’ is not used for the farming majority but only for minority craftsmen and hunters. However, the argument that relations between the marginalised and the dominant groups are based on dyadic patron-client relations does not invalidate the clear structural political, economic and social marginalisation. As for the argument that the marginalised form a single undifferentiated bloc, it is suggested that, though strict hierarchies are rare, endogamy makes for differentiation. Rather than a lack of ranking, spatial variations and changes over time deserve explanation; this suggests that one cannot speak of a coherent organisational principle such as one would expect to find in ‘caste’ societies. It is concluded that the lack of a uniform ideological cultural underpinning, the complex and varied origins and processes of marginalisation, and the specific structural relations between the majority and the dominated groups, all suggest that the ‘caste’ concept is of minimal analytical value and is therefore best left to the Indian context. A better understanding of marginalisation can start by analysing different local conceptions, and how endogamy structures differentiation and is related to occupation. A clearer analysis of marginalisation processes would mean tracing migrations, competition for resources and changing technological, economic, social and cultural relations between craft producers and dominant groups and interactions across ethnic boundaries.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.