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 Periodical article |
 Leiden University catalogue |
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| Title: | 'Great man' or 'great myth'? Meles Zenawi: historic or mythic ideologue? |
| Author: | Dibaba, Assefa |
| Year: | 2013 |
| Periodical: | The journal of Oromo studies |
| Volume: | 20 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| Pages: | 91-131 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic term: | Ethiopia |
| Subjects: | mourning myths ideologies political sociology Oromo |
| About person: | Meles Zenawi (1955-2012) |
| Abstract: | It is the purpose of this article to theorize the politics of mythologizing ideology in Ethiopia and examine mourning as a metaphor centering on the late Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia. Mourning for the deceased is believed to be one way of maintaining a strong social cohesion with the living while it also serves as a common good to appease the spirit of the deceased. The author's argument opens on the premise that, for the general public, grieving is traditionally rather a social event than something political/ideological, while it is of a personal and emotional nature for the family of the deceased. Bruce Lincoln's notion of myth as ideology in a narrative form helps to recapitulate his views on a transition from mythos to logos, which then leads towards the revival of myth as a means of creating a narrative that supports a certain ideology. Since not all mythologies date from the days of ancient cultures, the author posits that people around the world continue to create new myths for various purposes, or refashion existing myths. He revisits the notion of the Great Man Theory to challenge the validity of Meles' legacy as a 'Great Man' and theorizes about the current politics in Ethiopia from an Oromo perspective. Bibliogr., notes, sum. [Journal abstract, edited] |
