Ethiopian Studies
Ethiopian is the science discipline, in the narrower understanding of languages and cultures and the history of Ethiopia and Eritrea, in a further understanding as well as addressing the entire region of the Horn of Africa. She is a subregion of the Oriental.
Emergence of the field
Historically, the Ethiopian from classical Orientalism has developed that dealt with the Christian East and Semitic languages. The focus of the research were the ancient Christian culture and the literature that was written primarily to Ge'ez - the only literary language of the country to the early 19th century and today's language of the liturgy ( Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church). The classic Ethiopian was so particularly in the 19th century a pure philology ( textual criticism ) of Ge'ez, based on the corresponding language research, connected with the history of the region, as it was concluded from Ge'ez sources.
With the development of written culture in other languages and the increased focus on field research, and thus non-written aspects of the cultures, the boundaries of the Ethiopian extended. However, had Job Ludolf, the founder of Ethiopian studies, attempts a comprehensive description of all cultures, peoples and different political system in the Ethiopian region in the 17th century. This comprehensive cultural research program was again only in the late 20th century by the Ethnology ( including Ulrich Braukamper in Göttingen) and taken the classic Ethiopian Studies in Hamburg.
Research object languages
In total, over 70 languages are spoken in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The most important among them are:
- Amharic; State language of Ethiopia, ( Semitic )
- Arabic is the language of culture of Ethiopian Muslims ( Semitic )
- Tigrinya; State language of Eritrea and the Ethiopian state of Tigray ( Semitic )
- Oromo; the most widely used language of Ethiopia ( Cushitic )
- Tigray as the second most important language of Eritrea ( Semitic )
Ethiopian Studies as interdisciplinary subject
Today, the Ethiopian is an interdisciplinary field of philology, linguistics, history, theology, archeology, ethnology and politics.
As Wissenschaftsdiziplin the Ethiopian decreed in the so -called " Oriental Studies ", unlike, for example, the Iranian or Islamic studies, long time did not have a comprehensive subject-related reference work. Following this for decades increasing academic need to Siegbert Uhlig has done with his staff in collaboration with an international expert panel on the task of compiling the estimated five-volume Encyclopaedia aethiopica. 2010, the fourth volume appeared OX this encyclopedia.
In universities today, the Ethiopian is often placed under African Studies ( for example, the Department of African and Ethiopian Studies of the Asia - Africa - Institute of the University of Hamburg ), although the scientific methodology is very different. Äthiopistische specializations also offer specialized chairs in the Semitic ( Rainer Voigt ) at the Free University of Berlin and Ethnology (Ulrich Braukamper ) at the Georg- August-Universität Göttingen.
The history of German - Ethiopian relations begins in late middle age with the studies German theologians over the distant Christian kingdom. Even Athanasius Kircher had learned the language Ge'ez. The founder is generally Job Ludolf.
In Europe today as centers of Ethiopian Studies, the University of Hamburg, the Free University of Berlin and the Università di Napoli " L' Orientale ". A comprehensive language training, which includes all the languages mentioned above, ie Altäthiopisch, Amharic, Tigrinya, Tigray, Oromo and Arabic, is possible only at the Free University of Berlin.
At the University of Hamburg, the Ethiopian Research Centre is located. Also located there, the editors of the Encyclopaedia aethiopica, the magazine aethiopica (International Journal for Ethiopian and Eritrean Studies) and the series Äthiopistische research.
Other serial publications for Ethiopian Studies are: Journal of Ethiopian Studies, Rassegna di Studi Etiopici, Quaderni di studi Etiopici and the Northeast African Studies.
Prominent scientists who have contributed to the Ethiopian are, among others, Donald N. Levine, Edward Ullendorff, Enrico Cerulli, Harold C. Fleming, Enno Littmann, Lionel Bender, Neville Chittick, Richard Pankhurst, Wolf Leslau.
Äthiopistische meetings
After to July 24, 2000, the Ethiopian International Conference took place from 22 in Berlin, the 15th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies (15th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies) followed from 21 to 25 July 2003, Hamburg and at 7 to 8 February 2008, an International workshop on the history and language of Tigre speaker ( International Workshop "History and language of Tigre -Speaking People ( Eritrea and Sudan) ) in Naples.
From 1 to 4 April 2009 was already III. International Enno Littmann Conference with the theme " Tigre, Aksum and more" in Berlin discharged.
On 12-13. June 2009 led the working group to Ethiopian Rainer Voigt at the Free University of Berlin, the First International Colloquium on the Horn of Africa through. In addition to the seven speakers of the working group and three Ethiopian the working group affiliated speakers from Berlin, from the international refereed äthiopistischen specialist group also seven renowned scholars from Israel, Italy and Germany. The interdisciplinary colloquium focused on linguistic aspects of the Cushitic languages and äthiosemitischen (12 June ) as well as to culture, society and the rule of Ethiopia (June 13 ). Overall, about 30 " éthiopisants " involved in the discussions.
A further meeting of the international expert group - the Second International Colloquium on the Horn of Africa - imagine each with its own research with the goal and to discuss with colleagues, took place on 18-19. December 2009 in Berlin by the XVIIth International Conference of Ethiopian Studies in Addis Ababa ( November 2009) instead.
The III. International Colloquium on the Horn of Africa was on 20-21. August 2010 held at the Free University of Berlin.
Also at the Free University of Berlin, the relevant international symposium on semitohamitischen Research " 5000 years semitohamitische languages in Asia and Africa / 5000 Years Semitohamitic Languages in Asia and Africa" was conducted by Rainer Voigt from 22 to 24 July 2010.