Narratives of Environmental Disaster in Ethiopia: The Political Ecology of Famine

The conception and inheritance of narratives are an important component of being human. At the foundation of many societies, narratives take shape through verbal and written stories, songs, artifacts, records of events, testimonials, and even memories. These narratives are carried forward to the next generation in the hopes of remembering and educating those who look to the past to understand their present and future environments. Despite ethnic and cultural differences, groups of people find ways to preserve the narratives that can either form or unite their identities together. This statement by no means disparages the impact of historical forces, such as European colonialism, that has tampered the narratives of countless Indigenous groups in North America, the Global South and Africa. The pursuit of identifying narratives can aid in the unravelling of so-called truths of history, seeking justice for people who can no longer do so themselves, and healing generations of systematic oppression in countless broken communities. Ethiopia has spent over a century facing significant drought conditions that have rendered many of the nation’s northern regions vulnerable to famine. For this reason, this paper focuses on the impacts of anthropogenic environmental disasters in Ethiopia, specifically the famine of 1983- 1985. The goal of this research is to analyze the 1983-1985 famine to understand its significance in relation to contemporary Ethiopian disaster management. This analysis will take into consideration the role of colonial occupation and the transitions in Ethiopian political regimes, both of which are deeply rooted in the causal elements of this disaster. The literature reviews were used to provide a historical summary of the socio-economic and political climate during Ethiopian famines. Furthermore, it explains specific definitions and concepts relating to political ecology and disasters. The analysis section draws on the data gathered in a Pressure and Release (PAR) model of Ethiopian famine to answer this paper’s research questions. The discussion and conclusion discuss the challenges in conducting this research and the future of Ethiopian disaster risk reduction.