The Politics of history and History education in Ethiopia

Abstract

The reign of Menelik II and his political legacy have become central topics in the politics of history in Ethiopia since the second half of the twentieth century. This paper aims to analyze how and why this topic has become the subject of political controversy among Ethiopian elites from diverse backgrounds. Existing literature has focused on the prevalence of competing and conflicting historical interpretations but has largely overlooked the underlying reasons for these divergent interpretations of the same historical events. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate the factors behind these competing interpretations, analyze their impact on contemporary history education in Ethiopia, and suggest possible ways to address the resulting confusion. To achieve these objectives, a range of documents and relevant literature were consulted. Using the historical method, comparisons were made both horizontally across different perspectives and vertically across historical periods. Ultimately, the study finds that the primary reason for the prevalence of competing and conflicting interpretations of the same historical facts is the attempt by different political actors to rationalize their political goals and the means used to achieve them. Key words: Politics of history, history education, unifier, collaborator, colonizer.