Yimam, Baye (Professor )Disassa , Alemu2022-04-252023-12-052022-04-252023-12-052013-06http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/31511A Discourse Analysis of Jaarsummaaa, a Traditional Method of Dispute Resolution by Community Elders: Arsi Oromo in Focus Alemu Disassa Mulleta Addis Ababa University, 2013 This dissertation reports the result of a critical analysis of the discourse jaarsummaa among Arsi Oromo of Ethiopia. Although it has been used for centuries as a major resource in resolving conflicts among Oromo people, little attempt has been made to uncover the interactional features of jaarsummaa. Previous studies were mainly descriptive and outcome oriented. They did not address the issue of social power relationship in jaarsummaa discourse. Hence, this study adopts a discourse analytic approach to explicate the complexities and subtleties involved jaarsummaa discourse focusing on its genre structure, persuasive discourse strategies of the elders, social/gender power relationship, and major approaches of mediation employed by the elders. To this end, twelve actual jaarsummaa sessions were audio-recorded from three districts of West Arsi Zone, and data on the broader socio-cultural background of jaarsummaa were collected through observation, field notes, and interviews. A socio-cultural approach to discourse analysis has been utilized to analyze both textual and contextual aspects of jaarsummaa. The analyses reveals that jaarsummaa among Arsi Oromo has a rather stable macrostructures with distinct communication patterns and purposes. It has four major phases and several moves and steps, the sequential occurrence of which is regulated by uumee/seera ambaa ‘traditional norms and laws’ of the society. The analyses also indicates that the elders use a number of persuasive discourse strategies that help them make emotional appeal to disputants’ through positive presentation of self and the jaarsummaa program. To legitimize their persuasion, the elders often appeal to societal norms, religious discourse, and the government discourse. iv The findings also show that husbands have absolute power over their wives and such male power dominance has been legitimized and sustain by the mainstream discourses of the target society. Further, it was found out that the elders seem to have total power over disputants. In addition to their rhetorical power, the elders employ their moral power, social power, informational power, and positional power given to them by courts. In spousal dispute mediations, the elders aggressively persuaded the wives to accept the final decisions by using various discourse strategies such as naturalizing the conflict and the subsequent reconciliation of the couples, ignoring and mitigating major concerns of the wives, and making promises to stop the husbands from further abuses. Other economic and socio-cultural factors also coerced the wives to accept the decision. The analysis also shows that the elders start with problem solving approach and move on to therapeutic approach of mediation. Based on the above findings, recommendations such as having female mediators as representatives, educating and economically empowering women, giving awareness raising trainings for the elders on issues of gender rights and equalities, have been suggested as part of an attempt to refine the jaarsummaa practice. Finally, replication of same studies with large corpus, analysis of discourse of Gadaa court, comparative studies of court referred and normally held jaarsummaa cases and cases from urban and rural areas were suggested as potential focuses of further research in the area.en-USJaarsummaa , Traditional Mediation , Mediation Discourse, Discourse Analysis, Genre Analysis, Arsi OromoThesis