The State of Status Groups in Ethiopia: Minorities Between Marginalization and Integration

In many Ethiopian societies, occupational groups, descendants of hunters or slaves are differentiated from the societies they are part of or live next to. Until today, their ambiguous and often marginalized position is culturally justified and deeply entrenched in local belief or value systems. Recent research has shown how these social categories have been reshaped and renegotiated under the influence of various factors. In which contexts and to what extent integration has taken place, whether it is sustainable or whether social differentiation has persisted or even increased is the main focus of the nine case-studies in this book all of which emphasize the perspective of the status groups themselves.