Islam, Ethnicity, and Conflict in Ethiopia: The Bale Insurgency, 1963-1970 (African Studies, Series Number 151)

"Focusing on the role of religion and ethnicity in times of conflict, Terje Østebø investigates the Muslim-dominated insurgency against the Ethiopian state in the 1960s, shedding new light on this understudied case in order to contribute to a deeper understanding of religion, interreligious relations, ethnicity, and ethno-nationalism in the Horn of Africa. Islam, Ethnicity and Conflict in Ethiopia develops new theoretical perspectives on the interrelations between ethnic and religious identities, considering ethnic and religious groups as mutually exclusive categories by applying the term peoplehood as an analytical tool, one that allows for more flexible perspectives. Exploring the interplay of imagination and lived, affective reality, and inspired by the "materiality turn" in cultural- and religious studies, Østebø argues for an integrated approach which recognizes and explores embodiment and emplacement as intrinsic to formations of ethnic and religious identities"--Page preciding title page "Focusing on the role of religion and ethnicity in times of conflict, Terje Østebø investigates the Muslim-dominated insurgency against the Ethiopian state in the 1960s, shedding new light on this understudied case in order to contribute to a deeper understanding of religion, interreligious relations, ethnicity, and ethno-nationalism in the Horn of Africa. Islam, Ethnicity and Conflict in Ethiopia develops new theoretical perspectives on the interrelations between ethnic and religious identities, considering ethnic and religious groups as mutually exclusive categories by applying the term peoplehood as an analytical tool, one that allows for more flexible perspectives. Exploring the interplay of imagination and lived, affective reality, and inspired by the "materiality turn" in cultural- and religious studies, Østebø argues for an integrated approach which recognizes and explores embodiment and emplacement as intrinsic to formations of ethnic and religious identities"-- Provided by publisher Dedication 6 Contents 8 List of Maps 9 List of Figures 10 List of Tables 11 Acknowledgments 12 1 Introduction 16 2 Islaama Peoplehood and Landscapes of Bale 49 3 Conquest and Resistance 81 4 Bale at War 104 5 The Insurgency: Fighters and Fragmentation 134 6 Peasant Insurgency without Peasants 170 7 Land Tenure and the Land-Clan Connection 196 8 Christianity, Nation, and Amhara Peoplehood 224 9 Trans-local Dynamics: The Bale Insurgency in the Context of the Horn 249 10 Islaama vs Amhara and the Making of Local Antagonism 274 11 The Bale Insurgency, Islaama, and Oromo Ethno-nationalism 303 12 Conclusions 326 Glossary 334 References 337 Index 365 Discussing An Armed Insurgency In Ethiopia (1963-1970), This Study Offers A New Perspective For Understanding Relations Between Religion And Ethnicity.