The Brass Band of the King: Armenians in Ethiopia

Author:   Boris Adjemian
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN:  

9780755648412


Pages:   304
Publication Date:   22 August 2024
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
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The Brass Band of the King: Armenians in Ethiopia


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Overview

In 1924, the crown prince and future emperor of Ethiopia, Ras Täfäri, on a visit to Jerusalem, called on forty Armenian orphans who had survived the genocide of 1915-1916 to form his empire's royal brass band. The conductor, who was also Armenian, composed the first official anthem of the Ethiopian state. Drawing on this highly symbolic event, and following the history of the small Armenian community in Ethiopia, in this book Boris Adjemian shows how it operated on the margins of political society, hiding in its interstices, preferring intimacy and discreet loyalty to the glitter of open politics. The astonishing role of the Armenians in their host country was embodied in the friendship that the kings and queens of Ethiopia extended to them, a theme that is echoed in the life stories collected from their descendants. Bringing to light the political and cultural importance of a community that has long been ignored and has almost vanished, this study draws on the collective memory of Armenian immigration and the centuries-long history of proximity between the Armenian and Ethiopian Churches. The author argues for a sedentary approach to the diaspora, for a socio-history of this collective rootedness, which dates back to the 19th century and builds on historical representations of otherness from the early modern period up to the colonial era. Highlighting stateless immigrants halfway between the national and the foreign, this history reveals the agency of stateless immigrants and their descendants, their ability to play with identities and undermine assigned belongings. The Brass Band of the King is an original exploration of the social making of nationhood and foreignness in Africa and elsewhere.

Full Product Details

Author:   Boris Adjemian
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   I.B. Tauris
ISBN:  

9780755648412


ISBN 10:   0755648412
Pages:   304
Publication Date:   22 August 2024
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Introduction: From the Sedentary Logic of Diasporas to the History of the Nation-State Part I: The Genesis of an Ethiopian Political Tradition Chapter 1 Wax and Gold: The Royal Brass Band’s Unsuspected Political Role Chapter 2 The Long Time of an Event: From Jerusalem to Jerusalem Chapter 3 Of Immigrants and Kings: Toward a Symbolic Nationalization Part II: The Friendship of Kings Prelude to the History of a Collective Memory Chapter 4 A Past that Engages the Present: The Social Stakes of the Making of Heroes Chapter 5 Menelik’s Armenians: From the Welcome as Experienced to the Sedentarization of an Imaginary Chapter 6 Arba Lejoch: The Logical Apotheosis of a Collective Destiny Part III: The Sedimentation of the Ungraspable Chapter 7 From Threshold to Interstice: A Space of Decompartmentalized Sociabilities Chapter 8 Between Stateless Person and Citizen: The Belle Époque of a Legal Gray Zone Chapter 9 Between Färänj and Habäsha: Representations and Social Practices of Hybridity Conclusion Bibliography

Reviews

This magnificent work is now available in an excellent English translation. Boris Adjemian’s engaging and comprehensive book on Ethiopian-Armenians offers a captivating exploration into the emergence and development of diasporic communities, accompanied by a rich theoretical debate. It is a work that excels in both depth and innovation. * Vahé Tachjian, Chief Editor, Houshamadyan, Germany *


This magnificent work is now available in an excellent English translation. Boris Adjemian’s engaging and comprehensive book on Ethiopian-Armenians offers a captivating exploration into the emergence and development of diasporic communities, accompanied by a rich theoretical debate. It is a work that excels in both depth and innovation. * Vahé Tachjian, Chief Editor, Houshamdyan, Germany *


Author Information

Boris Adjemian is the Director of the AGBU Nubar Library, France. He holds a PhD in history from École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), France, and Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale”, Italy. He is the co-editor of the academic journal Études arméniennes contemporaines.

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