Kebra Nagast and Al-Najāshī The Meaning and Use of Collective Memory in Christian-Muslim Political Discourse in Ethiopia

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David Chrisna

Abstract

One of the earliest recorded Christian-Muslim encounters took place in Ethiopia, when the prophet Muhammad sent some of his followers to seek asylum in the land. However, in its development, Christian-Muslim relations in Ethiopia have often experienced tensions due to conflicting political interests, inter-ethnic relations and religious aspirations. In this paper, I analyze the use of Ethiopian Christianity’s Kebra Nagast and Islam’s Al-Najāshī narratives in Christian-Muslim political discourse in Ethiopia during the rule of Yohannes IV, Menilek II, Leg Iyasu and Haile Selassie. By using Maurice Halbwachs’s collective memory theory I hope to cast an image of harmonious Christian-Muslim relation in the future Ethiopia.

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