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State and Religion in Ethiopia

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State and Politics in Religious Peacebuilding

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Compromise after Conflict ((PSCAC))

Abstract

In this chapter, Steen-Johnsen presents a study of religious peacebuilding in Ethiopia to depict how religious peacebuilders are affected by the political strategies of state authorities related to civil society. She outlines how Ethiopian politics have been historically dominated by an Amhara-Orthodox elite. This dominance persists in contemporary political life in Ethiopia. Steen-Johnsen also presents the current political strategies of the Ethiopian authoritarian regime aimed at controlling political mobilization in the civil and religious spheres. She outlines how religious and civil actors in the country have historically been submissive to state authorities and suggests that this form of interaction persists under the sitting authoritarian EPRDF regime.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Social Work, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway

    Tale Steen-Johnsen

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  1. Tale Steen-Johnsen
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Steen-Johnsen, T. (2017). State and Religion in Ethiopia. In: State and Politics in Religious Peacebuilding. Palgrave Studies in Compromise after Conflict. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59390-0_4

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