The Linguistic Politics of Ethiopian Philosophy: Navigating Tradition, Modernity, and Globalization between Ge’ez, Amharic and English

The purpose of the lecture is to explore the linguistic politics of Ethiopian philosophy through the examination of the ways in which philosophical inquiry developed in the three primary languages of Ge’ez, Amharic and English.

Each language has a unique position in the development of philosophical discourse in Ethiopia. Ge’ez is a classical liturgical language that gives us an access to the philosophical heritage that is found in ancient texts. Amharic is the lingua franca that builds a conceptual bridge between ancient texts and modern philosophical discourse. English is in return the language of higher education and academic publication and the philosophical practice that takes place in the institutional academic setting.

The lecture also looks at the complex linguistic dynamics within which discourses of social progress shaped ways of doing Ethiopian philosophy and the epistemological and translational challenges that are arising in the process. It will also pay attention to the four trends that emerged in the process and the rift between academic and public philosophy in Ethiopia. Ultimately, it points towards the ways in which we can reimagine philosophical practice in Ethiopia in a manner that is able to affirm linguistic diversity, cultural situatedness, critical engagement and development of intercultural dialogues without falling into the universalist and particularist debates and freeing philosophical practice from the ideology of the state.