Governing violence in the pastoralist space: Karrayu and state notions of cattle raiding in the Ethiopian Awash Valley

Authors

  • Alemmaya Mulugeta Institute of Social Anthropology University of Basel,
  • Tobias Hagmann Department of Geography University of Zurich

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21825/af.v21i2.5048

Abstract

Based on recent fieldwork this article examines how cattle raids involving Karrayu pastoralists are governed by the local administration and customary authorities in Ethiopia’s Upper and Middle Awash Valley. It argues that the regulation of violent conflicts in areas marked by weak state presence and legitimacy must be understood as a function of multiple social orders, actors and norms. The authors draw attention to the evolving rationales of inter-ethnic cattle raids, highlight the incomplete nature of state expansion into the Karrayu pastoralist space, and scrutinize the ambiguities of government and community peacemaking. Key words: cattle raiding, pastoralism, conflict resolution, governance, Karrayu, Ethiopia 

Author Biographies

Alemmaya Mulugeta, Institute of Social Anthropology University of Basel,

Institute of Social Anthropology

Tobias Hagmann, Department of Geography University of Zurich

Department of Geography

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Published

2008-10-08

How to Cite

Mulugeta, A., & Hagmann, T. (2008). Governing violence in the pastoralist space: Karrayu and state notions of cattle raiding in the Ethiopian Awash Valley. frika ocus, 21(2). https://doi.org/10.21825/af.v21i2.5048

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Section

Articles