CNRS Ministère des Affaires Etrangères

Rechercher





Accueil > Research at CFEE > Research axes > Interdisciplinary axes

Ethiopian heritage in the making

As shown by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed 2018’s announcements about Lalibela site, or by the Addis Ababa palaces opening to the public, cultural heritage plays a central role as a cultural policy in Ethiopia. Ubiquitous in communication policy of the Federal State, regions, and towns, the promotion and protection of heritage now mobilises many professionals at different scales (civil servants, travel agencies, guides, etc.). What is at stake is mainly the economic dimension : the idea is to promote the cultural diversity and the historical and geographical wealth of the country in order to make marginal regions accessible and to support the country’s development. Ethiopia wants to prove itself as the most visited African touristic destination (as a country that has the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites). With the concept for ‘intangible heritage’, all sorts of things can ‘be part of heritage’. The political issue also matters a lot : in a context of community and ethnic tensions, cultural heritage is considered as a national unity conveyor, as well as a subject of identity appropriation.

The CFEE is often working hand in hand with Ethiopian institutions to elaborate cultural heritage promotion policies. Interdisciplinary researches supported by the CFEE deal with :

 The development of institutions in charge of the making of cultural heritage in Ethiopia (including the university training of employees working in this field). This development is linked to the appropriation of the notion of cultural heritage and related discourses, but it is reminiscent of ancient religious institutions and State practices ;

 Local demands and appropriations related to the notion of heritage in Ethiopia related to the construction of the Nation-State (the ‘sense of heritage’ of the country’s elite) and ethno-regional federalism encouraging the process of ‘heritage and museum making’ of cultural items (music, architecture, cooking, languages, etc.) ;

 The consequences of ‘heritage making’ policies, both for the actors carrying them and for the populations that are directly concerned by them, thus rethinking the relations between the elites and other social groups as well as between the State, regions, and the society, and so on ;

 The relationships of Ethiopia with the rest of the world, in particular with international organisations and relevant companies working in this field, where Ethiopians and more and more present, as well as with France in the context of the post-Ouagadougou and ‘restitutions’ discussions.

News

Follow the news of this research program on the blog of the CFEE

Funded research programmes

 ANR EthioMap : Cartographic sources and territorial transformations of Ethiopia since the late 18th century

 ANR PANSER - Southern natural heritage : a small-scale global history

Bibliography (since 2016)

Blanc, G. (2017). Thinking about Latour and AIME’s Common World. Resilience. A Journal of Environmental Humanities, 4 (1).

Blanc, G. (2017). La triste histoire d’un parc national. Les Collections de l’Histoire, 74, p. 80-82.

Blanc, G., Bridonneau, M., Guindeuil, T. (dir.) (2017). Dossier Making heritage in Ethiopia, Annales d’Éthiopie, 31..

Blanc, G., Demeulenaere, E., Feuerhahn, W. (dir.) (2017). Humanités environnementales. Enquêtes et contre-enquêtes, Paris, France : Publications de la Sorbonne, série « histoire environnementale - 02 ».

Biasio, E., Gerber, P. R. (2017). The Return of the Crown of Kafa from Switzerland to Ethiopia : A Case of Restitution ? Annales d’Éthiopie, 31, p. 25-43.

Duroyaume, P. (2017). Les demeures anciennes d’Addis-Abeba. Discours et pratiques autour du patrimoine dans une métropole en reconstruction. Annales d’Éthiopie, 31, p. 133-159.

Ficquet, E. (2017). Reliques, archéologie et identité nationale. Dossiers d’archéologie, 379, p. 50-51.

Girma Tayachew (2017). The Simen Wild Fauna under the Protection of the Government of Haile Sellasie. From Endangered Prey to National Symbol (1941 – 1969). Annales d’Éthiopie, 31, p. 65-80.

Guindeuil, T. (2016). Nature, culture, même combat ? Sciences et conservation sur le campus d’Addis-Abeba (1950-1974). Études rurales, 197, p. 125-146.

Guindeuil, T. (2016). Les années Hoy. Stanislaw Chojnacki et la mise en musée de la culture éthiopienne (Addis-Abeba, 1950-1975). Cahiers du CAP, 3, p. 165-197.

Guindeuil, T., Boisserie, J.-R. (2016). Science universelle, fossiles nationaux. Exposer la paléontologie en Éthiopie (1960-2014). Cahiers d’histoire du Cnam, 5 (1), p. 121-150.

Huber, M. (2017). Making Ethiopian Heritage World Heritage. UNESCO’s Role in Ethiopian Cultural and Natural Heritage. Annales d’Éthiopie, 31, p. 45-64.

Jaffe-Schagen, J. (2017). Creating Space. The Construction of Ethiopian Heritage and Memory in Israel. Annales d’Éthiopie, 31, p. 81-105.

Metasebia Bekele. (2017) The Memory of Heroes : the Konso Experience. Annales d’Éthiopie, 31, p. 161-177.

Yohannes Gebre Selassie. (2017). The Future of the Past. Annales d’Éthiopie, 31, p. 179-196.

Yohannes Gebre Selassie. (2017). L’alphabet éthiopien. Une origine discutée. Dossiers d’archéologie, 379, p. 36-39.

Zelalem Teferra. (2017) Urban Renewal and the Predicaments of Heritage Conservation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Annales d’Éthiopie, 31, p. 107-132.