The Pillage of Sustainability in Eritrea, 1600s-1990s: Rural Communities and the Creeping Shadows of Hegemony

by Niaz Murtaza

Overview

Because of its history and location, Eritrea is an ideal example for a study of the sustainability of traditional rural communities and the impact of local and external actors on them. This book provides a lucid account of the pillage of rural sustainability under modern hegemonic conditions. It traces the manner in which the imprints left by European rule were accentuated during Ethiopian control. These legacies continue to haunt rural communities after independence in the shape of resource shortages, the dominance of western civilization, and the modernization-based policies of the ruling Eritrean class which originated under European rule.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313306334
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/20/1998
Series:	Contributions in Economics and Economic History , #197
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

NIAZ MURTAZA is a Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, with a focus on International Rural Development.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations and Foreign Terms
Sustainability and Traditional Rural Communities: Theoretical Issues
Nature-Society Interactions: Variations Across Eritrea
Contested Sovereignties, Pre-1890: Primitive Hegemony and Local Semi-Autonomy in Eritrea
European Colonization, 1890-1952: The Subjugation to Modern Hegemony
Ethiopian Annexation, 1952-1991: The Convergence of Primitive and Modern Hegemony
Eritrean Independence, 1991-1996: Past Legacies, New Threats
The Evolution of Production Systems in the Highlands, 1880s-1990s: The Gradual Loss of Viability and Adaptability
The Evolution of Production Systems in the Lowlands, 1880s-1990s: The High Potential for Viability
The Quest for Sustainability: Conclusions and Recommendations
Bibliography
Index