A comprehensive historical, geographic, and thematic analysis of the multidimensional and dynamic migration experience of Ethiopians within and beyond Africa.

A comprehensive historical, geographic, and thematic analysis of the multidimensional and dynamic migration experience of Ethiopians within and beyond Africa.

Ethiopia is one of the largest African sources of transnational migrants, with an estimated two to three million Ethiopians living outside of the home country. This edited collection provides a critical examination of the temporal, spatial, and thematic dimensions of Ethiopian migration, mapping out its scale, scope, and destinations. The thirteen essays here (plus an introduction and conclusion by the volume's editors) offer a discussion of the state of knowledge and current debates on the diaspora and suggest alternative frameworks for interrogating and understanding the Ethiopian migration and diasporic experiences. Key time periods and literatures are identified to study Ethiopian transnational migration, moving from a survey of patterns in pre-twentieth-century Ethiopia and on to changing trajectories in the imperial period and under succeeding postrevolutionary regimes.

Geographically, the contour of the Ethiopian diaspora is outlined, identifying key destinations and patterns of return. In particular, the volume seeks to correct the traditional tendency to conflate the Ethiopian diaspora with North America and Europe by including areas that have long been marginalized, such as inter-Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The objective is not to construct a simple cartography of migration but a critical analysis of national and global issues, policies, trends, and processes that shape the roots and routes of the migration dynamic. Thematically, this book aims to challenge the existing boundaries of Ethiopian migration and diaspora studies and raise important concerns about representation, ghettoization, and perpetuation of inequalities.

Edited by Shimelis Bonsa Gulema, Hewan Girma, and Mulugeta F. Dinbabo. Contributors: Alpha Abebe; Amsale Alemu; Tekalign Ayalew; Kassaye Berhanu-MacDonald; Elizabeth Chacko; Marina de Regt;Mulugeta F. Dinbabo; Peter H. Gebre;Hewan Girma; Mary Goitom;Shimelis Bonsa Gulema; Tesfaye Semela; Nassise Solomon; and Fitsum R. Tedla.

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Transnational Migration and the Making of the Global Ethiopian Diaspora
Shimelis Bonsa Gulema, Hewan Girma, and Mulugeta F. Dinbabo

Part One: Histories and Historiographies of Ethiopian Migration
1. Exhuming the Narrative: Imagining Prince Alemayehu in Ethiopian Diaspora
Amsale Alemu
2. From "Lega Harar" to Adowa to Haile Selassie, the Evocation of Popular and Contested Symbols of Ethiopian Topography, Culture, and History in Self-Representations of Ethiopia and Ethiopians in Canada
Nassise Solomon
3. Young Diasporans of Ethiopian Origin: A Historically Grounded Generation
Alpha Abebe

Part Two: Geographies of Migration: Mapping the Global Ethiopian Diaspora
4. Im/mobile Lives? Ethiopian Domestic Workers in the Middle East
Marina de Regt
5. Ethiopian Diasporas in South Africa: Dynamics of Migration, Opportunities, and Challenges
Mulugeta F. Dinbabo
6. Ethiopians in Australia: Race, Ethnicity, and Othering
Hewan Girma
7. Ethiopian Irregular Migrants to Germany: Trajectory of Voyage and Expectations Reality Gap
Fitsum R. Teddla and Tesfaye Semela
8. Drivers and Patterns of Ethiopian Youth Migration to Global Destinations
Tekalign Ayalew

Part Three: Transnational Experiences: Connections, Disjuncture, and Ambivalent Belongings
9.Mahbereseb: Indigenous Community-Based Mechanisms and Responses that Support and Facilitate the Health and Well-Being of Ethiopian Immigrants in Canada
Mary Goitom
10. Ethiopian Diaspora Philanthropy for Homeland Development: Motivations, Patterns, and Prospects
Elizabeth Chacko and Peter H. Gebre
11. Interrogating Ethiopia: Diaspora, Social Media, and Partisan Discourses
Shimelis Bonsa Gulema
12. Songs of Sidet: An Insight into Ethiopia's Culture of Migration through Song Lyrics Analysis
Hewan Girma
13. Between Worlds: Ethiopian Adoptee Identity
Kassaye Berhanu-MacDonald
Conclusion
Notes on Contributors
Index