Civil War and Local Religious Institutions in Ethiopia: An Agency-Based Approach
Institutional Affiliation
Institute for Peace and Security Studies, Addis Ababa University
Start Date
16-1-2025 1:30 PM
End Date
16-1-2025 3:00 PM
Proposal Type
Presentation
Proposal Format
On-campus
Proposal Description
What roles do local religious institutions have in war contexts? The relationship between religious institutions and civil war is quite complex. The extant literature in the field identified the roles of religious institutions during armed conflict along three categories: as conflict parties, bystanders, and peacebuilders. This study explores the role of local religious institutions during the civil war in Northern Ethiopia based on agency-based perspectives. It argue that local religious institutions have a pacifying role during the civil war. The study adopted a qualitative case study approach. Relevant data were collected from a three-month fieldwork comprising of 28 interviews, one focus group discussion, and documents from the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church Wag-Himra Diocese office. Building on these data, this paper argues that the role of the local religious institutions (church) has been transformed from a mere spiritual institution to a wartime humanitarian actor, a mediator between local people and armed groups, the sole representative of the people, and an administrator of civilian affairs. The findings of the study also show that the church has also contributed to de-escalating the intensity of violence during the war and, thereby, offering hope to the local people amidst the scourge of war.
Civil War and Local Religious Institutions in Ethiopia: An Agency-Based Approach
What roles do local religious institutions have in war contexts? The relationship between religious institutions and civil war is quite complex. The extant literature in the field identified the roles of religious institutions during armed conflict along three categories: as conflict parties, bystanders, and peacebuilders. This study explores the role of local religious institutions during the civil war in Northern Ethiopia based on agency-based perspectives. It argue that local religious institutions have a pacifying role during the civil war. The study adopted a qualitative case study approach. Relevant data were collected from a three-month fieldwork comprising of 28 interviews, one focus group discussion, and documents from the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church Wag-Himra Diocese office. Building on these data, this paper argues that the role of the local religious institutions (church) has been transformed from a mere spiritual institution to a wartime humanitarian actor, a mediator between local people and armed groups, the sole representative of the people, and an administrator of civilian affairs. The findings of the study also show that the church has also contributed to de-escalating the intensity of violence during the war and, thereby, offering hope to the local people amidst the scourge of war.