Reminiscences of Prof. Donald N. Levine An authentic & in an antiquated sense of the expression, an Ethiopia-devotee

      

       A gifted and brilliant academic, he worried over the fate of Ethiopia in a culture politics he thought he had reason to suspect. There he displayed his own dedication for the difficult task of articulating the sources of his suspicion of the quirks afforded by the 2005 elections that wrought havoc on Ethiopian society. Throughout his career, he concentrated on education, sociological theory, Ethiopian Studies, the Japanese martial art of aikido and introduced the African Civilization series, environmental studies and the public policy concentration programs at the University of Chicago. He received several Awards for Excellence in 1971, 1996 and 1985.

        Prof Levine’s submission on Ethiopia in 2006: Call for a New Direction underpins several points. The May 15, 2005 election marked a dramatic step forward on the road towards a democratic society. The populace deserves credit for that unprecedented triumph. All concerned should pause, breathe deeply and savor that historic achievement. (2) Reversing this (Ethiopian) conflict could mark an extraordinary step forward for Ethiopia and enable it to return to a position of leadership in Africa, much as did the resolution of apartheid in South Africa. The post-election disputes and related violence had deprived the country from enjoying the fruits of that achievement. One cannot agree more.

       One needs to articulate responses and find answers to these issues that arise out of the grueling impasse that citizens were dearly paying for. Does political contestation enter electoral processes in Ethiopia as an external ideology, constructing and deploying its concepts in sterile abstraction from the immediacies of indigenous traditions, beliefs and values? Furthermore do ideas of political competition come into play in total opposition to, or in cooperation with historic Ethiopian values and sentiments? As Prof Levin submits, political disputes are currently being addressed through legal procedures. Whatever the outcome of those court proceedings, the more deep-lying issues that led to those volatile disputes need to be addressed if the country is to regain confidence and move forward with a vision of future possibilities. Hence, he asked if we could look to shimgilena (mediation) that recurrently augurs on voluntary problem-solving and conflict management practices that have endured to this day in Ethiopia’s two millennia history -- where the method is most often employed in which parties meet face to face to reach mutually acceptable resolutions.

       This also brings to light some axioms of dispute resolution approaches that derive from several basic premises about the nature of conflict, change and power. Engagement often serves as an important impetus for positive change. This is in line with Prof. Levin’s statement that the political parties argue eloquently on behalf of upholding the rule of law. Therefore an important premise that successful conflict management relies is on the participation of all legitimate parties. As Prof. Levine has articulated very well

“Despite the upsurge of ethnic politics in the past generation, it is abundantly clear that the bonds of Etyopiyawinet are alive and well. Indeed, they may in many quarters be stronger than ever. I salute the people of Ethiopia for maintaining those bonds and for carrying on with their traditional attachment to justice, their cheerfulness in adversity, and their determination to carry on. I say with all my heart: Idme le-hulatchu, idme le-Etyopiya!!”

        Indeed, Prof. Levine was a man in search of the unfathomable Ethiopian society vividly demonstrated by his acumen to pen the words in Greater Ethiopia and Wax and Gold among his numerous scripts (The Continuing Challenge of Weber's Theory of Rational Action, Economy and Society; Powers of the Mind: The Reinvention of Liberal Learning in America; Social Theory as a Vocation: Genres of Theory Work in Sociology to name a few). He was unapologetic about his own craving for consented-to political magnum opus in this great nation; despising the idiom that political flavor was a precept and discerning social finery from filthy power mongering, were despondently naïve.

Rest in Peace

Costantinos