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ISSN: 2360-784X |
International
Journal of Political Science and Development |
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International Journal of Political Science and Development Vol. 7(7), pp. 225-236, September, 2019. DOI: 10.14662/IJPSD2019.108 ISSN: 2360-784X
Research
Inter-ethnic Relations among Amhara and Kemant Ethnic Groups in North-Western Ethiopia
Birhanu Bitew
Department of Civics and Ethical Studies, Wolkite University, Wolkite, Ethiopia. E-Mail: birhanubitew87@gmail.com or birhanu.bitew@wku.edu.et, Cell Phone: +251915858799
Accepted 25 September 2019
Being a home of diverse ethnic groups, Ethiopia experienced multihued ethnic interactions. North- Western Ethiopia in particular is known for its conventional ethnic interaction for millennia. Considering this fact into account, this study assessed the historical economic and social interactions among the Amhara and Kemant people. To do so, the study employed qualitative case study design via consulting wide ranges of primary and secondary sources. The finding of the study unveiled that the two groups have had long period of amicable relations expressed through economic interdependence, inter-ethnic marriage and companionship in religious based social practices. The politicization of ethnicity by ethnic elites polarizes differences between the two groups since 1991. Ethnic polarization creates ethnic conflict since 2015 that resulted in the loss of human life and destruction of immense properties. Accordingly, the paper argues that the mere existence of ethnic difference is not a cause for hostile inter-ethnic relations unless manipulated by ethnic entrepreneurs for political and economic motives. The egoistic intrusion of ethnic entrepreneurs in the communal as well as social life of the Amhara and Kemant people brings ethnic suspicion and identity based conflict.
Keywords: Amhara, ethnic relation, Kemant
Cite this article as:
Birhanu, B. (2019). Inter-ethnic Relations among Amhara and Kemant
Ethnic Groups in North-Western Ethiopia. Int. J. Polit. Sci. Develop.
7(7) 225-236
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