Arba Minch University (AMU) along with French Centre for Ethiopian Studies (CFEE) co-hosted a book launching event of a book entitled “History of Women in Ethiopia” on October 10, 2025 in AMU, Main Campus. Reviewers from College of Social Sciences department of History and Heritage Management and English Language and Literature presented their critics on the book. Click here to see more photos.
Dr. Tolera Seda, Community Engagement and University Industry Linkage Director, welcoming the program, gave a lowdown on AMU and reaffirmed that volumes of such a kind will be of an immense benefit for academia, research and related areas. Giving focus to the neglected yet overwhelmingly significant roles of women in national and international level will be worth writing more volumes on which we should go further together working in partnership and collaborative approaches, he remarked. He expressed his astonishment at hearing the women of giant history in our oral tradition such as Acco Manoye - in Oromo oral poetry and storytelling, Gene Angalate - an army leader and a foundational female figure in Dawro, Chimate Chimbalo - a legendary woman of power, virtue and wisdom in Gamo, and many more in other oral traditions to be our real women ancestors I used to listen to. “I Thank You Very Much!” Dr. Tolera complimented to the CFEE, Dr. Margaux Hermann and all the participants in the Book authorship.
Dr. Constance Perrin-Joly, Director for French Centre for Ethiopian Studies (CFEE) opening the program officially, said, using the book launch as a merger event, we can organize other important workshops, conferences and other events cooperatively. Speaking on the book launch, she said, the book aims to support education with regard to teaching social sciences, history, gender studies and others. Though she is not a historian, she contributed a chapter on women entrepreneurs for which she feels proud about.
Abreham Kinfe, Dean of School of Law, noted that the book is not merely an academic volume yet the profound restoration of last memory which brings often overlooked contribution of Ethiopian women in shaping our nation’s history across politics, religion, health, economy and education. The publication is inspiring and reminds us that empowering women strengthens every pillars of our society in everyday life, he remarked. Mr. Abreham also underscored that the event lays a benchmark for future collaborations with CFEE and other institutions from France in joint publication, research and gender law, staff exchange and capacity building initiatives.
Dr. Margaux Hermann, Director of the Project and Editor of the Book, briefing on the launching event explained that the volume on Ethiopian women’s history is a pioneering project in Ethiopian educational documentation, bringing together the research that has been developed on Ethiopian women’s history up to the 2010s. She said, it examines a wide range of topics related to women’s issues using critical, methodological and chronological approaches. 19 researchers, 10 men and 9 women, worked on the project in all its political, religious and social dimensions, exploring women’s issues related to religion, work, education, political and economic participation, health, sports, etc., she noted.
According to Dr. Herman, this book which is available free as PDF file online on OpenEdition has 9 themes and 23 chapters of which each theme has its own dedicated section, made up of successive chapters that either attempt to cover the period from antiquity to the present day, or analyze sub-themes from different perspectives. The volume brings together historians and social scientists from Ethiopia and abroad who share a common interest in developing the field of women’s history and gender in Ethiopia, she noted. They have worked together to address different methodological issues and topics in a single volume, with the aim of being used as a reference material in an academic context and it is also the first attempt of its kind to provide a scholarly and academic overview of Ethiopian women’s history, Dr. Herman remarked.
Dr Margaux Herman, who initiated, coordinated and edited the volume, is a historian who began her career in Paris at La Sorbonne University and then joined Debre Berhan University as Assistant Professor. She is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO) in Paris, France. She has brought together senior and junior Ethiopian and international scholars to produce a unique volume aimed at supporting the development of education and quality teaching at university level.
Dr. Tseganesh Anbessie, from department of English Language and Literature, Dr. Seid Ahmed, Mr. Kassu Tumiso, and Mr. Mohammed Seid, from department of history and heritage management, all from AMU, briefed the review feedback to the audience. Suggesting areas which need updating to make the volume better and comprehensive for academic and research fellows as well as a reference for university students on history of Ethiopian women, they said, instead of being North-Centered like other history books of Ethiopia, the volume had better include important feminine personalities from South, East, West and Centre parts of Ethiopia. Harmonizing some expressions about Ethiopia Jewish Community and the description on the whereabouts of Saint Mary, and other similar issues makes the volume get better. Besides minor editorial and content improvements expected, the volume serves as a pioneering one as a reference for Ethiopian history of women in particular and the history women in general.
During the culmination of the event, copies of the book and other related books were donated to AMU by CFEE. Dr. Sam Ponniah, from School of Law, AMU, anchored the program.
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