A History of Handicrafts in Agäw Mider Awurajja During The Twentieth Century

Meseret, Zegeye

dc.contributor.author	Meseret, Zegeye
dc.date.accessioned	2024-12-05T09:19:47Z
dc.date.available	2024-12-05T09:19:47Z
dc.date.issued	2024-09
dc.identifier.uri	http://ir.bdu.edu.et/handle/123456789/16294
dc.description.abstract	This thesis explores the history of handicrafts and craftsmanship in Agäw Mider Awurajja during the twentieth century. Handicraft has played a major role in economic, social, political, and cultural changes and also the main livelihood for artisan communities in the study area in particular and in the country in general. On the contrary, this economic sector was a highly neglected and marginalized activity gaining only less attention from non-artisan communities, government bodies, and scholarly studies, particularly during the Imperial era. Under the Därg, it secured some degree of attention and patronage from the government during which some changes in the life of handicraftsmen and positive attitudes towards the craft were witnessed by the non-artisan communities. However, it isn't easy to obtain a relatively well-organized and detailed study of handicraft activities in the study area during the twentieth century. Therefore, the study is intended to reconstruct a history of handicrafts in the region and contribute to filling research gaps in the sector. This study may serve as a reference to disciplinary investigations; encourage further study on related issues and a noteworthy contribution to the development of Ethiopian historiography at large. The study tried to discuss various styles and products of handicraft, typology, and ups and downs of handicraft throughout the twentieth century in the region and measures and policies taken by different governments in the country at large and in the study area specifically. In this study, a variety of sources were utilized to provide a comprehensive understanding of the history of handicrafts in Agäw Mider Awurajja. Both published and unpublished historical documents, along with oral sources, were employed to gather relevant information. The primary written sources were collected from several key institutions. These included the Däbrä Markos University Archive Center (DMUAC), the Agäw Mider (current Awi Zone) Cultural and Tourism Office, the Agäw Gimjabèt General Primary School Record Office, and the Ankäśa Guagussa Wäräda Cultural and Tourism Office. Additionally, materials from Assaye Aniteneh‟s Private Library in Dangila and various MA theses and PhD dissertations provided valuable insights. Oral sources were also integral to the study. Systematic and critical interviews were conducted with residents of the present-day Awi administrative zone, including both artisans and non-artisans who knew the history of handicrafts and artisans during the period under investigation. All these sources were meticulously investigated and interpreted to reconstruct a detailed history of handicrafts in the region. Primary and secondary historical evidence used were cross-checked to substantiate their validity and reliability. Scanty of historical sources, shortage of budget and the current political instability (civil war between Fano and the central Ethiopian government) were the major problems that I have encountered during my study. Yet, I have been overcome these and other challenges by using all my bests throughout the paper to give a general picture of the different arguments of the thesis. Economic and social role, marginalization and social stigma, impact of government reforms, decline of handicrafts, and cultural resilience are the major findings of this investigation	en_US
dc.language.iso	en	en_US
dc.subject	History and Heritage Management	en_US
dc.title	A History of Handicrafts in Agäw Mider Awurajja During The Twentieth Century	en_US
dc.type	Thesis	en_US