Overview

This book highlights the positive achievements that Imperial Ethiopia made in its journey towards urbanization into the modern era, and undertakes a critical assessment of the economic, political, and social impediments that prevented the country from transitioning into a truly fully fledged modern urbanization. It provides a comprehensive history of the growth of towns between 1887 and 1974. It is organized chronologically, regionally, and thematically, divided into three distinct time periods during which Ethiopian towns saw progresses and exposures to limited modern urban features. First, during 1887–1936, the country saw the creation and growth of a national capital (1887) that coordinated the country’s economic and political activities and facilitated the growth of other towns in the empire. It introduced new towns, the railway, modern schools, and health centers. Rudimentary factories were established in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, along with motor cars and modern roads, which increased trade between cities. The next era was the Italian occupation from 1936–1941, which shook the pre-existing process of urban growth by introducing a modern European style urbanization system. Ethiopian cities saw a qualitatively different way of urban growth in both form and content. The Italians introduced modern economic and physical planning, administration, and internal organization. People were introduced to modern life in urban areas, exposed to modern wage labor system, and thus moved to towns to take advantage of the opportunity. The Italian occupation left behind many features of modern urbanization, and this influenced population exposed to modern consumptive tastes was determined to retain what the Italians introduced. Finally, the post-Italian period saw a new era of urban growth. Due to economic and organizational problems resulting from destructions caused by the war, the process of urban growth was slowed down in the early 1940s. Although the government did not introduce a clear urban policy in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, towns continued to grow progressively from the early 1950s to 1974.

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9781498521932

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Reviews

Professor Benti's book is useful for educators, politicians, activists, and students who want to understand the role of Finfinnee (Addis Ababa) in particular and other garrison cities in general in the Ethiopian Empire in maintaining colonial domination and the subordination of the Oromo nation, the largest ethno-national group in Ethiopia, and their national struggle to restore the ownership of this capital city in the heart of their country. By providing an alternative explanation to Ethiopian studies that have treated the Oromo as objects of history by denying them agency and the ownership of this city, the book also demonstrates the contradiction between Oromo history and Ethiopian history by focusing on the agency of the Oromo. Consequently, the book further enriches our knowledge on Oromo and urban studies in Northeast Africa. -- Asafa Jalata, University of Tennessee-Knoxville The best survey yet and a much-needed contribution to an important set of modernization, urbanization, and exploitation in Ethiopian history. Benti produced a comprehensive, analytical, and balanced work that will have a long-lasting shelf life. -- Tsega Etefa, Colgate University Benti has written a seminal book that is a veritable touchstone for understanding the complex process of urbanization in Ethiopia from the foundation of Finfinnee to the demise of the First Imperial Era, 1887-1974. With remarkable virtuosity, he deploys a broad range of extant historical sources to analyze the nexus between imperial expansion, economic development and the consequential growth of towns and cities. The book provides both a nuanced assessment of the factors that facilitated the emergence of urbanization in Ethiopia and the policies that have hindered the transition to a fully developed modern country. The book is a tour de force that should be a template for examining the process of urbanization in other African countries. -- Ezekiel Walker, University of Central Florida

Professor Benti's book is useful for educators, politicians, activists, and students who want to understand the role of Finfinnee (Addis Ababa) in particular and other garrison cities in general in the Ethiopian Empire in maintaining colonial domination and the subordination of the Oromo nation, the largest ethno-national group in Ethiopia, and their national struggle to restore the ownership of this capital city in the heart of their country. By providing an alternative explanation to Ethiopian studies that have treated the Oromo as objects of history by denying them agency and the ownership of this city, the book also demonstrates the contradiction between Oromo history and Ethiopian history by focusing on the agency of the Oromo. Consequently, the book further enriches our knowledge on Oromo and urban studies in Northeast Africa. -- Asafa Jalata, University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Professor Benti's book is useful for educators, politicians, activists, and students who want to understand the role of Finfinnee (Addis Ababa) in particular and other garrison cities in general in the Ethiopian Empire in maintaining colonial domination and the subordination of the Oromo nation, the largest ethno-national group in Ethiopia, and their national struggle to restore the ownership of this capital city in the heart of their country. By providing an alternative explanation to Ethiopian studies that have treated the Oromo as objects of history by denying them agency and the ownership of their towns, the book also demonstrates the contradiction between Oromo history and Ethiopian history by focusing on the agency of the Oromo. Consequently, the book further enriches our knowledge on Oromo and urban studies in Northeast Africa. -- Asafa Jalata, University of Tennessee-Knoxville The best survey yet and a much-needed contribution to an important set of modernization, urbanization, and exploitation in Ethiopian history. Benti produced a comprehensive, analytical, and balanced work that will have a long-lasting shelf life. -- Tsega Etefa, Colgate University Benti has written a seminal book that is a veritable touchstone for understanding the complex process of urbanization in Ethiopia from the foundation of Finfinnee to the demise of the First Imperial Era, 1887-1974. With remarkable virtuosity, he deploys a broad range of extant historical sources to analyze the nexus between imperial expansion, economic development and the consequential growth of towns and cities. The book provides both a nuanced assessment of the factors that facilitated the emergence of urbanization in Ethiopia and the policies that have hindered the transition to a fully developed modern country. The book is a tour de force that should be a template for examining the process of urbanization in other African countries. -- Ezekiel Walker, University of Central Florida

Professor Benti's book is useful for educators, politicians, activists, and students who want to understand the role of Finfinnee (Addis Ababa) in particular and other garrison cities in general in the Ethiopian Empire in maintaining colonial domination and the subordination of the Oromo nation, the largest ethno-national group in Ethiopia, and their national struggle to restore the ownership of this capital city in the heart of their country. By providing an alternative explanation to Ethiopian studies that have treated the Oromo as objects of history by denying them agency and the ownership of this city, the book also demonstrates the contradiction between Oromo history and Ethiopian history by focusing on the agency of the Oromo. Consequently, the book further enriches our knowledge on Oromo and urban studies in Northeast Africa. -- Asafa Jalata, University of Tennessee-Knoxville The best survey yet and a much-needed contribution to an important set of modernization, urbanization, and exploitation in Ethiopian history. Benti produced a comprehensive, analytical, and balanced work that will have a long-lasting shelf life. -- Tsega Etefa, Colgate University

Author Information

Getahun Benti is associate professor of African history at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

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