From the introduction of Ethiopia’s multinational federalism and the developmental state
economic growth initiatives to the Oromo youth-led uprising and the subsequent collapse of the
Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) rule, the rise of the Prosperity
Party (PP) and the Tigray War of 2020–2022, all happened in shadows of history, both as a
phenomenon and a body of knowledge. Shadows of History examines the country’s past through
the lens of appreciative inquiry and provides fresh analytical insights into Ethiopia’s recent
challenges. Written from multidisciplinary perspectives, the essays in this volume give critical
examination of Ethiopia’s state-making efforts, related development endeavors, and the
accompanying resistance and confrontations, identifying three strands—nationalism, violence,
and state crises—that run through the volume. Overall, the volume provides a helpful tool for
historians and other scholars, both specialists and generalists, interested in the Horn of Africa.
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Etana H. Dinka, the editor, is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Miami, where
he teaches undergraduate and graduate African history courses. His research focuses on
Ethiopia’s late nineteenth and twentieth-century political and environmental history and the Horn
of Africa region. He has recently published several research articles and reviews in peer-reviewed
journals, including the Journal of African History, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, African
Studies Review, Northeast African Studies, and the Journal of Oromo Studies.