Discursive trajectories in the making of Amhara identity in Ethiopia

Abstract

In Ethiopia after 1991, ethnic identities are the fundamental governing principles of politics. Not only has the process provided the institutional basis, but it has also created ethnic groups in a variety of ways. The discursive construction of Amhara identity in Ethiopia is the topic of this research.For a long time, the Amhara have identified as Ethiopians.The Amhara have been portrayed as the opponent of Ethiopia's Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (NNPs) since the second part of the 20th century, according to the hegemonic discourse of national oppression. Anti-Amhara sentiment, on the other hand, may be traced back to the Italian colonial period (1936)(1937)(1938)(1939)(1940)(1941). Until recently, being and becoming Amhara was constructed from the outside and challenged from within. As a result, the characteristics of an ethnic political system that ushered in the post-1991 era, continued demonisation and societal fears all play a role in the formation of Amhara identity. As a 'cultural security policy', embracing Amharaness has become a route out of these predicaments. Amharaness emerges from a counternarrative that resurrects historical and symbolic myths.

Ethnic Identity and National Unity in Ethiopia: Challenges and Opportunities for Building National Consensus

“…Ethiopia's ethnic diversity can be linked to critical historical occurrences like the Italian occupation in the 1930s. Around this time, Ethiopian tribes started to become more ethnically diverse, mirroring the colonial processes that other regions of Africa had gone through [55]. Southern Ethiopia's different ethnic groups were subjugated by the Amhara people's cultural values and Amharic language in the late 1800s [4].…”