Amharization is the process by which Amhara traditions, culture and language are elevated above over ethnic groups in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

. During Imperial rule, Amhara enjoyed greater influence, imposing

Amharic Amharic is an Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amhara people, and also serves as a lingua franca for all other metropolitan populati ...

language and culture and dominating

politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

. Amhara elites aspired to build the Ethiopian nation. Amhara dominance lasted from the

Derg The Derg or Dergue (, ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when they formally "Civil government, civilianized" the ...

era until 1991. The

Tigrayan The Tigrayan people (, ''Təgaru'') are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group indigenous to the Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. They speak the Tigrinya language, an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Ethiopian Semitic branch. The daily life ...

-led

EPRDF The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF; ) was an ethnic federalist political coalition in Ethiopia that existed from 1989 to 2019. It consisted of four political parties: Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Amhara ...

regime attempted to end Amharization and implement ethnic federalism under the

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

. However, the constitution failed to solve protracted conflicts and further heightened tension among ethnic groups.

TPLF The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF; ), also known as the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, is a left-wing ethnic nationalist, paramilitary group, and the former ruling party of Ethiopia. It was classified as a terrorist organization ...

also used the divide and rule mechanism and made Tigrayans in politics.

Background

Amhara dominance continued during the Imperial era. For instance, under Emperor

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen or ''Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles#Lij, Lij'' Tafari; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles, Rege ...

, Amharization took place by implementing

language, culture, religion, and tradition. In 1967, the government imprisoned leaders of

Mecha and Tulama Self-Help Association The Mecha and Tulema Self-Help Association () was an Oromo people, Oromo political and freedom social movement in Ethiopia. The movement was primarily based in Bale, but was active in other regions as well (including Addis Ababa). The organization ...

, an Oromo nationalist groups that advocated for

Ethiopian nationalism Ethiopian nationalism, also referred to as Ethiopianism or Ethiopianness (, ''Ityop̣p̣yawinnät''), according to its proponents, asserts that Ethiopians are a single nation, and promotes the social equality of all component ethnic groups. Ethi ...

. As crackdowns became tighter, Oromo nationalism grew, leading to the formation of

Oromo Liberation Front The Oromo Liberation Front (, abbreviated: ABO; English abbreviation: OLF) is an Oromo nationalist political party formed in 1973 to promote self-determination and the independence for the Oromo people inhabiting today's Oromia Region and Oromi ...

(OLF) in 1973. The Amhara also exerted influence during the Derg era, advocating an "indivisible" Greater Ethiopian empire, despite opposition by

Eritrean nationalists Eritrean nationalism is centered on the fact that since 1889, Eritreans have shared a common history, and as such constitute a nation onto themselves. The historical development that first gave birth to the new "Eritrean" identity occurred in 1882 ...

and an ongoing civil war. The

Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP) (), informally known as Ihapa (), is the first modern political party in Ethiopia. Established in April 1972, it aimed to turn Ethiopia into a democratic republic. Both the EPRP and another pa ...

(EPRP), an Amhara-led organization composed of 3,000-5,000 fighters opposed the

-led

coalition. Amhara rule ended when EPRDF won victory against

Mengistu Mengistu Haile Mariam (, pronunciation: ; born 21 May 1937) is an Ethiopian former politician, revolutionary, and military officer who served as the head of state of Ethiopia from 1977 to 1991. He was General Secretary of the Workers' Party of ...

in 1991. After the collapse of the Derg regime in May 1991, the

FDRE constitution The Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (), also known as the 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, is the supreme law of Ethiopia. The constitution came into force on 21 August 1995 after it was drawn up by the Constituent Asse ...

accorded the rights of assimilation of Amhara people on the basis of their

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

and culture. A 2023 study reported that Aari (also Ari) people in Southwest Ethiopia forcefully adopted Amhara culture and their religion, including

Orthodox Christianity Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

due to centuries-old humiliation and marginalization by Amhara.{{Cite web , date=12 July 2023 , title=Rejoinder: "The rise of Amharization" among Ari people- Dr. Julian Sommerschuh's unfounded Claim , url=https://addisstandard.com/rejoinder-the-rise-of-amharization-among-ari-people-dr-julian-sommerschuhs-unfounded-claim/ , access-date=24 October 2024 , website=

Addis Standard ''Addis Standard'' is an Ethiopian monthly social, economic and political news magazine published and distributed by Jakenn Publishing Plc, and was established in February 2011 by Tsedale Lemma, who is also the editor-in-chief of the magazine ...

References

Ethnic supremacy 21st century in Ethiopia Habesha peoples

Background

See also

References