Ethnic Federalism and Nation Building in Development: The Case of Ethiopia
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Date
2015-04
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
In 1991, Ethiopia introduced a system of ethnic based federalism. The recognition of Ethiopian
ethnic diversity became one of the core principles largely consisting of ethnic based territorial
units. This thesis examines the impact of ethnic federalism and nation building in democratic
inclusion to enhance cooperation and integration toward political compromise, national
consensus and shared identity within diversity that facilitates sustainable development. The
thematic focus of this research is to account the constitutional aspiration and optimism of
holding ethnically divided societies together in the context of constitutional and extra
constitutional setbacks in Ethiopia’s Ethnic Federalism in the path of fostering belongingness to
overall identity accompanied by inclusionary, participatory and sustainable development.
Although the Constitution embodies a doctrine of balance between unity and diversity to build
one economic and political community by rectifying past injustices, politicization of ethnicity
under the context of ethnic federalism has encouraged ethnic cleavages by forming
distinctiveness and differences which is a backlash against nation building and shared
aspirations. Therefore, there is the need for visionary thinking outside the box of past injustices
so that the antithesis for these injustices is not taken too far to the extent of derailing shared
identity and shared aspirations. This indeed calls for democratic inclusive institutions for the
betterment of Ethiopia’s future rather than centrifugal reactions to the past.
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Keywords
Ethnicity, ethnic federalism, nation, nation building, development, Ethiopia