Transitional Justice And Memory Politics In Contemporary Ethiopia


Abstract


Ethiopia’s successive regimes have encountered challenges of implementing transitional justice mechanisms in post transitional periods. Tracing implementation of transitional justice mechanisms, how such attempts shaped memory politics and by reviewing the country’s contemporary history, the article shows that justice has mostly transpired in the form of punishing a political ideology than holding individuals accountable. The recording of history and understanding of the past events and memories also lack consensus. Moreover, entrenched ethnic politics has also made implementation of justice mechanisms and addressing issues of memory politics extremely challenging. Taking these into account, the article concludes that institutional ineffectiveness and entrenched ethnic politics have affected transitional justice processes and issues of memory politics in Ethiopia’s context.


DOI Code: 10.1285/i20398573v6n1p139

Keywords: Ethiopia; Transitional Justice; Memory Politics; Punishing Ideology; Ethnic Politics, Ethnic Federalism

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