Product Description
This unique interpretation of Ethiopian society uses the tools of history, sociology, anthropology, and psychology to examine three main questions: What is the nature of the traditional culture of the Amhara, and what are its enduring values and beliefs? What aspects of modern culture interest this society and by means has it sought to institutionalize them? How does tradition both facilitate and impede Ethiopian efforts to modernization? Using the insights and the tools of several disciplines, Professor Donald Levine looks on Amhara culture as history, as an outlook on life, a way of growing up, a social structure, a kind of psychological orientation, and, finally, as acombination of opposites.With acuity and sensitivity he describes the strains upon the traditional culture made by the needs for modernization and the problems which face young and old in making this rapid transition.The author has found one key to Ethiopian society in its poetry, where thewaxis the obvious meaning, thegoldthe hidden meaning. He finds reflections of this ambiguity at all levels of Ethiopian culture and holds that an appreciation of it is essential to understanding the problems facing Ethiopians in their movement toward modernization and their unique role among African nations. Since its first publication, forty years ago, Wax and Gold has became a basic source for the studies of Ethiopia and a provocative model for the study of African and other modernizing nations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Classic.
Its stunning to me that someone would comment that this book is academic and that it is not useful because it is 32 years old.I guess we should throw out all literature from before the year 2000.Kant, Simmel, Marx, Kierkagard, Plato, the Constitution, Tolstoy, useless I suppose. Friend, if you are looking for a trashy novel you are in the wrong section of the bookstore.This is the classic sociological work on Ethiopia written by the renowned sociologist, Sensai, peacemaker and warrior Professor Donald Levine.This is the work that renowned author and historian Robert Kaplan recently cited to in a New York Times editorial as holding the key to peace in the Middle East. ... Read more

Product Description
Affirmative action (AA) is considered as a tool inenhancing representation of females at all levels ofthe education system and many countries in the worldset policies and strategies to effectively enhancefemales? participation in the education sector. Inthis research, focus was given to exploring AA usedin the recruitment of female academics in Bahir DarUniversity (BDU), Ethiopia. Emphasis is given tothese questions: 1) what policies and practices arein place to decrease under-representation of womenacademics in the University? 2) What is theperception of the academic staffs of BDU towards theAA practices? 3) What challenges women academics ofBDU face in their career? 4) What PD practices andstrategies are being used to support womenacademics? 5) What kind of PD support do the womenacademics still need in order to developprofessionally? 6) Which context related factors canhave impact on the implementation of PD initiativesin BDU? Thus, the book will give insights as to howAA is being practiced in the Ethiopian context, thechallenges being faced and possible solutions. ... Read more

Product Description
Resettlement has been used as a rural developmentprogram with other objectives to reduce ruralpoverty and tackle food insecurity. In Ethiopia alsoit has been used with different explicit andimplicit objectives. But conflicts for land use arecommon in resettlement areas.This book presentsthe characteristics and features of resettlement inselected resettlement areas of Dawuro zone withtheoretical and conceptual frameworks. It gives ahighlight for cuases of conflict in resettlementareas.Among other reasons of conflict inresettlement areas,land use issues, ethnicdifferences, and resources competitions are themain .The book discusses about these issues indetail. Therefore, the book helps students,researchers and policy makers in resettlement,conflict, and land use issues by providing boththeoretical and emprical discussions. ... Read more

Product Description
This book aims to examine the contribution of microfinance in empowering poor urban women and thereby protecting themselves from HIV/AIDS. It also investigates the role played by microfinance services in creating awareness about HIV/AIDS among program participants and service delivery to people living with HIV/AIDS. This book reveals that microfinance has contributed positively in the process of addressing and empowering poor urban women. Despite its encouraging contribution in changing the position of women, the Amhara Credit and Saving Institution (ACSI) did little in directly addressing HIV/AIDS problems of its clients, staff and the society at large. The microfinance institution failed to address the problem ofHIV/AIDS through education and information using its solidarity groups and outreach channels. ACSI does not have a policy of its own pertaining to HIV/AIDS issues. It did not assess the impact of the pandemic on its clients and staff. Except the productive and active poor, there is no mechanism used by ACSI to make people living with HIV/AIDS beneficiaries of the microfinance products. ... Read more

Product Description
Immediately upon controlling the reigns of power, the EPRDF government has brought substantial transformation in political, socio-economic and institutional arrangement of the Ethiopian state. As a result, the current government embarked on the process of decentralization with the aim of changing the form of state from unitary to federal states. The Harari Peoples? National Regional State (HPNRS), who used to have an independent Emirate and center of Islam in the Horn for three centuries, have a unique regional government structure i.e. bicameral as well as unique electoral system unlike other regional state. This book, therefore, examines the contribution of effective decentralization policy in building regional and local institutions in the HPNRS for the last decade. It looks for establishing whether enough political, administrative, fiscal and human resource management powers have been devolved and if not outlines the challenges to the procedure. The analysis should help to give fresh insights on this cross-cutting and interlinked issues of decentralization and institution-building, and should be especially beneficial to professionals in the fields of social science. ... Read more

Product Description
Most believe so as to scientists knows more thanfarmers and they should be the people who determinewhat research to be done and how it should beconducted. So that Farmers' participation inagricultural research has not gained momentum at thelocal, regional and international levels. This bookis first of its kind in seeing the determinants andpatterns of farmers' participation in agriculturalresearch. Under conditions that farmers'participatory research leads to the empowerment ofrural communities. The farmers ?indigenous'or ?traditional' knowledge and the responsivenessthat they can have a say to their own developmentmust be recognized. The socio-economic and culturalfactors such as age, household size, educationalattainment, size of farm land, and gender aresignificantly related to farmers' participation inFarmer Research Groups ... Read more

Product Description
For more than three decades, gender equality ineducation remains significant theoretical and policydebate in the discourse of social justice. Althougha number of social power relations shape theschooling experiences of girls, patriarchic lens hasremained the dominant tool of analysis for socialand institutional arrangements. This book analyzeshow the intersection of gender with social-class,spatial location and sexuality shape the experiencesof girls admitted in higher education throughaffirmative action in Ethiopia. This is accomplishedby applying the concept of intersectionality asanalytical tool. Through a critical analysis of thesocial and institutional arrangements, the bookuncovers how the misrecognition of multiple andintersectional experiences produces chains ofdiscriminations for girls who are at the junctionpoint of the interactions. Furthermore, byhighlighting the contextual weaknesses ofaffirmative action, the book suggests an alternativethird space ? the notion of complementingaffirmative and transformative strategies. ... Read more

Product Description
For the last decades problem of food insecurity has been outstanding challenge for most Sub Saharan countries. As a result of which these countries were forced to design strategies that they alleged it would enable their people to come out of the problem of food insecurity. Hence enhancing agricultural production and productivity is opted as the best alternative since it is believed that the rural community drives their income from their small farms. Informed by the above idea these countries are used to allocate huge amount of their annual budget to reverse the situation. Because the strategy neglected resource poor farmers, landless rural households and their livelihood strategies, failed to reduce hunger and rural poverty in those countries. Therefore, this book clearly identified what livelihood strategies rural households employ that enable them to be food secure or not and what factors determine their participation in the given livelihood activities The book provide valuable information to research and extension, rural development, institutions, policy and decision makers about how to improve rural livelihood and livelihood strategies. ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Wodefit Gesgeshi, Widd Innat Ityopp'ya is the national anthem of Ethiopia. The lyrics were composed by Dereje Melaku Mengesha and music by Solomon Lulu Mitiku. It was adopted in 1992. A national anthem (also national hymn, song etc.) is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ... Read more

Product Description
This empirical study aims at identifying factorsthat affect child health servicesutilization focusing on societal factors, healthservice delivery system and individual determinantsamong mothers in child bearing agein Akakidistrict of Oromia Region. It assessed the socio- economic, demographic and accessibility factors withhelp of binary logistic regression and healthservices utilization model. The univairate analyseswere used to see the percentage share of backgroundvariables. The finding indicated that 61.5 percentof the mothers do not utilize child health services.The finding of bivariate analysis using chi-squaretest showed the existence of association between 11explanatory variables and child health servicesutilization. Multivariate analysis using logisticregression clearly revealed that number of childrenunder age of five years, educational status ofmothers, and accessibility of health personnel andavailability of child health services are veryimportant factors that affect mothers' child healthservices utilization. ... Read more

Product Description
News coverage of regions is becoming important asimage and identity are becoming essential for aregion's economic growth and ultimate survival.Besides, an informed society is healthier than theone based on rumors, gossips, and suspicions.However, there is a pattern of diminishing coverageof other cultures in any thing but a news bite,based on low expectation of audience interest. Thisbook shows whether regions in Ethiopia are enjoyingproportional news coverage on Ethiopian Television.Apart from implicitly explaining federalism vis-à- vis journalism, the book covers processes,complexities, benefits and theories of newscoverage. It also describes how countries likeEthiopia could better use their television stations.It is, indisputably, one of the few best bookswritten on news coverage of regions in developing. ... Read more

Product Description
Every community performs different rites of passage of which Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is one.FGM is carried out commonly in the name of tradition that it is a custom handed down from past generation and must be continued. As tradition is a commonly shared attribute in a community, all members of that community should equally benefit from or enjoy it. Contrary to this, half of humanity ?women- have been subjected to this dreadful practice, FGM. Although the direct victims of the practice are women, in reality males benefit nothing from the procedure, except fulfilling the belief held in their minds. Denouncing FGM is not a matter of morality or gender equality rather it is a human right issue. To bring it to an end, therefore, all human beings should take any action possible.In this regard, I hope, this manuscript will serve as a resource for human right activists, researchers, donors, policymakers and educators. ... Read more

Product Description
Since the Industrial Revolution, there have been two dominant views regarding development. In the 1960s many developing countries subscribed to the urban and industrial development paradigm to achieve rapid development and catching up with the developed world. The 1970s saw that the trickle-down paradigm could not achieve progress in the rural areas and this led to a shift towards rural development strategies. These strategies have also failed because of the neglect of the urban dimension. Recent approaches have given emphasis to the mutual development of both urban and rural areas. In Ethiopia attempts to bring about development focused on rural areas. However, the scale of rural poverty and the state of agricultural sector hampered its ability to kick-start its weak economy. This opportunity could be realised by investigating the rural-urban linkages. This book explores the type and extent of rural-urban linkages, and the factors responsible in shaping these linkages in Welenkomi town and its hinterland in Ethiopia. The book could have a paramount significance for development experts, policy makers, researchers, professionals and students in the field of development studies. ... Read more

Product Description
There exists women rights violation all over the world, especially in third world countries like Ethiopia. To fight this social injustice, there are various groups in society as governmental bodies, civil society, international organizations and local non governmental organizations. These elements of the society make efforts to fight for the rights of women through different methods. Studies have shown that media is a powerful tool that can bring significant change in behavior through creating awareness for the benefit of societal development. Media has the ability to educate and enlighten a society on harmful norms andtraditions that affect its life, through passing along developmental messages. This study looks in to the different ways three organizations that work in women rights in Ethiopia. Also, the study presents the existing challenges these advocates face to pass developmental messages through media, as illiteracy and digital divide persist in third world countries as Ethiopia. ... Read more

Product Description
String Figures are designs woven on the hands with a loop of string. The designs portray a variety of subjects, both concrete and abstract, and often require a high degree of dexterity to make.Prior to Westernization, nearly all pre-literate societies were familiar with string figures, including those of Oceania, Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan, Africa, the Arctic, and North and South America. The extent of their distribution suggests that string figures are ancient--perhaps even relics of the stone age.The international String Figure Association was founded in 1978 by Dr. Hiroshi Noguchi, a Japanese mathematician, and Rev. Philip Noble, an Anglican missionary stationed in Papua New Guinea. The primary goal of our organization is to gather and distribute string figure knowledge, so that future generations will continue to enjoy this ancient pastime. We also encourage the invention of new figures and enjoy sharing them with one another. ... Read more

Product Description
With low urbanization level, Ethipoia has high urbanunemployment level for the age renge 15-30. This isattributed to luck of regerious and the country'shistorical events.The forces of urbanization werenot socio-economic development like developednations but the poverty push factors in rural area.Some discribe the trend as "Urbanizing the RuralPoverty". This extended rural poverty had made theincreasing Ethiopian urban centers to unfit with themunicipalities' service delivery capacity. In linewith this, the unemployment rate is increasing whichhas putting pressure on the subject's social andpsychological behaviours. Although health riskbehaviors are influenced by several factors,unemployment, extreme poverty and lack of knowledgeand experience of them exacerbate and perpetuatethem. As a result, the youth in Ethiopia have facedprofound sexual and reproductive health problemslike early marriage, unplanned pregnancy, unsafeabortions, sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDSand, gender inequality. In the study, the unemployedyouths IN Adama city were compered with theirunmployed counters and they were found to be ingreat voulnerblity contex. ... Read more

Product Description
Climate change is the most serious problems facinghumans and global sustainable development. In thisbook rainfall variability is the major concern. Thestudy aims to assess the spatial and temporal variability and trend of rainfall in all year roundrainfall region of Ethiopia. To achieve theobjective, nineteen rainfall indices were definedand analyzed for trends on daily time series fornine stations over the period 1978-2007. Kendall-tautrend test shows two distinct trends: i) Decreasingtrends in annual total rainfall amount, short wetspells, very heavy precipitation days and dailyrainfall exceeding 95th and 99th percentiles atGore; ii) Increasing trends in annual total rainfallamount, frequency of heavy precipitation days, veryheavy precipitation days and long dry spells atJimma. These are the indications of recent prevalence of dry spells/drought periods to the wettest part of Ethiopia. Generally the findings imply that climate variability and change requires urgent attention and action to tackle its impacts on economy, social and environment in south western part of Ethiopia. ... Read more

Product Description
Since 1999, the World Bank & the InternationalMonetary Fund encourage developing countries toprepare poverty reduction strategies (PRSs),whichare nationally integrated strategies formulatedthrough a participatory process & coordinated withdonors. This book, therefore, aims to contribute tothe development, implementation, monitoring &evaluation of effective PRS, especially theSustainable Development & Poverty ReductionProgramme of Ethiopia.With reference to existingstudies, the book justifies the need for a nationalstrategy for sustainable development (NSSD) &identifies the principles and criteria forevaluating such strategies in relation toenvironmental, social and economic integration; thenature of the policy processes; targeting &resourcing. It then explains that NSSD & PRS havecommon characteristics and hence the criteria forNSSD evaluation can also be used for PRS. Based onthe analysis, recommendations on Ethiopia?s SDPRP2002 have been made that could assist policy-makers,development workers and other concerned parties intheir efforts to develop an effective sustainabledevelopment and poverty reduction strategies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Book
The book addresses current pressing issues related to sustainable development as well as provides recommendations on effective poverty reduction strategies (PRSs) development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.Its research methods are thorough and use primary data. Thus, it is educative, informative, very useful, clear, relevant, accurate and comprehensive not only for policy makers and development practitioners, but also for general public. ... Read more

Product Description
Radio is a friendly mass medium to use and inreaching people as a communicator. Particularly incountries like Ethiopia, where most of the people are too poor to buy modern electronic media andilliterate to read newspapers, the best alternativeis radio. Radio transmission in Ethiopia has notcovered the entire country yet. more over, eventhough there are more than 70 spoken languages within the country the total languages used by the main radio channels are not more than eight. Hence, not reaching the entire people and broadcasting in only eight languages raise doubts about the essence of providing contents that could be locally relevant and useful to the different communities. To narrow this gap and develop participatory communication, the establishment of community radio in different parts of the country is of paramount importance. Thestudy,thus,identified directions to lay out therequirements to meet the operation of community radio and hinted effective means to tackle challenges that may crop up now and then in its development process.Therefore, the book renders a token help to a groupconcerned with the promotion of community radio in acountry. ... Read more