Mois : juin 2011

Ethiopia’s Golden Years

On juin 20, 2011

This blog is dedicated to the visual history of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa (maps, ancient photos…). It specially focuses on the pre-WW II period and the Italian invasion of Addis Ababa (May 1936). Hence, we wish to highlight pre-20th century maps and the work of the main photographers who were active in the Horn between 1870s and 1936.

We consider photos as historical witnesses and sources before their aesthetic value. Photos are a primary material for documenting the History of the Horn of Africa, especially when traditional archives are missing. In the same scope, cartography is to be considered as a historical source depicting the geographical knowledge of a time, but also what information is wanted to be shown (or hidden). Considering maps and photos in a historiographical perspective is part of the epistemological consideration of the use of graphical sources in the writing of History.

Comments are welcome, as well as your own posts, for publication in this blog.

Serge Dewel (PhD Modern History of Ethiopia)
Blog coordinator