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.

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Jan 16th, 1:30 PM Jan 16th, 3:00 PM

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.