The Unit for Peace and Conflict Studies and the Doctoral School Dynamics of Inequality and Difference in the Age of Globalization cordially invite to the public presentation of APPEAR visiting scholar Hilina Ashenafi (Haramaya University, Ethiopia). This visit is embedded within the APPEAR funded project "Partnership for Strengthening Institutional Capacity in Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation", jointly implementation by Haramaya University and the University of Innsbruck. 

The presentation will be held in English language.

 

 

Time:  Wednesday, 11th of Dezember 2019, 16:30-18:00
Place: Seminarraum der FSS, Bruno Sander Haus, OG 5, University of Innsbruck
For questions pease contact Adham Hamed: Adham.Hamed@uibk.ac.at 

Elicitve Conflict Analysis towards Transformation in Development-Induced Involuntary Displacement: the case of Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

I have been struggling to find a sense of belonging in my entire adulthood in the increasingly polarized ethnic politics of Ethiopia. I believe this is the main reason why I am attracted to the topic of land displacement. The value of land for the poor people of my country relates to their economic resource; security and legacy of their forefathers. In the past two decades, there has been a wave of displacement of urban and peri-urban people done by the government to make room for development projects. There are researches done by Ethiopian scholars using legal approaches that show the faulty nature of expropriation laws and the problems with its implementation. There are additional researches done from the angle of development aimed at mitigating the effects of displacement as a collateral damage of urban growth. This study is unique and aims to build on the existing research by viewing this issue through the lens of transrational peace philosophy that focuses on how the displaced people feel about the displacement. The research questions are (a) What is the meaning of land to the displaced people? (b)  How are the interpersonal and intrapersonal aspects of the conditions of the displaced people impacted by the displacement? (c) How did the displaced people transform the conflict and what possible courses of actions can be suggested to make the transformation sustainable?

 This research is based on the transrational peace philosophy and employs the elicitive conflict mapping method. The primary theme of the conflict will be identified based on the energetic, moral, modern and postmodern peace families and their respective themes. Although the key informants of this study are people at the grassroots level, key players at the middle and top level of the conflict will be included to analyse their web of relations. The impact of displacement on sexual-family, socio-emotional, mental-societal and spiritual-political layers will be analysed. The outcome of this layered analysis is expected to lead to reasonable possibilities for conflict transformation.