Institute for Peace and Security Studies

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Browsing Institute for Peace and Security Studies by Subject "and Subversion and Transgression."

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    Tigrigna Memes: Subaltern Satires as Everyday Resistance to Power
    (Addis Ababa Unversity, 2023-06) Geleta Tesfaye; Fana Gebresenbet (PH.D.)
    This study investigates how Tigrayan youth within the Facebook group, Tigrigna Meme, have employed internet memes as a form of everyday resistance against dominant narratives and powers after the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA), in the context of the 2020-2022 war in northern Ethiopia. Drawing on the works of Gayatri C. Spivak and Antonio Gramsci, the concept of subalternity is applied to these Tigrayan youth in the group. Specifically, the research examines the role of memes in subaltern peacebuilding efforts and how they reflect cultural evolution. The researcher uses qualitative content analysis in conjunction with a Facebook image-searching algorithm to identify relevant memes. Through analysis of these memes, the study reveals that Tigrayan subaltern groups perceive the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) as manipulative and incompetent while viewing the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), the Eritrean government, and Amhara forces as groups who have blatantly violated the Ethiopian federal government’s narrative of territorial integrity and countering extremism. The voices of these subalterns provide unique insights into their experiences of the war and valuable insights into peace and security studies for guiding post-war reconstruction policy. The study endeavors to make a significant contribution toward promoting diversity in the efforts for peace, security, social cohesion, and stability in contemporary Ethiopia, particularly its Tigray region.