The Journal of Oromo Studies (JOS) is a leading scholarly publication of the Oromo Studies Association (OSA). Issued twice a year, the journal publishes articles pertaining to all areas of Oromo Studies past, present and future, including topics related to the Oromo Diaspora worldwide. Its interdisciplinary scope and revisionary approach offers readers a critical view of the socioeconomic, political and cultural achievements of the Oromo people in their interactions with the people of the Horn of Africa.

Reflecting the diverse interests of OSA members, the journal emphasizes multidisciplinarity and embraces variety by publishing articles that allow both the specialist and the general reader gain far-reaching insights and a thorough understanding of the Oromo people and the Horn of Africa region.

The contributed essays included in this issue are:

Articles
From Geographic Skirt to Geographic Drift: The Oromo Population movement of the Sixteenth Century
Daniel Ayana

Urban Centers in Oromia: Consequences of Spatial Concentration of Power in Mulitnational Ethiopia
Asafa Jalata

Socialization, Symbolism, and Social Structure: Aspects of Traditional Pottery Making among the Jimma Oromo, Western Oromia
Bula Wayessa

Customary Laws in Ethiopia: Institutions of Dispute resolution among the Guji Oromo Agropastoralists
Dejene Negassa Debsu

The Framing of Problems and Solutions by NGOs, Corporations and States: The Case of Oromia, Ethiopia
Elizabeth A. East

Special Feature
Notes on Some Religious Beliefs of the Oromo
Roger Cambard
Translation from French by Ayalew Kanno

ABOUT THE EDITOR
EZEKIEL GEBISSA is Associate Professor of History at Kettering University. He is the author of Leaf of Allah: Khat and the Transformation of Agriculture in Harerge, Ethiopia, 1875-1991 (James Currey and Ohio University Press, 2004). He has published several articles in refereed journals. He is past president of the Oromo Studies Association and currently editor of the Journal of Oromo Studies.

CATEGORY
Oromo Studies/AFRICA