Center for African Studies

Terje  Ostebo,  UF.  Ethiopia  and  Saudi  Arabia:  Between  Proximity  and  Distance.  11:45am

Link to the meeting:

https://ufl.zoom.us/j/92484216980?pwd=Z0Z5ZzJWd05RczJyL0JIb2J2T3ptQT09

Abstract: Geographical proximity has enabled deep connections between peoples on the Arabian Peninsula and in the Horn of Africa. While this enabled important ethnic, cultural, and religious points of contacts between Muslims on the Peninsula and in the Horn, Ethiopia’s historical relations to the peninsula have, in contrast, been characterized by distance. Depicting itself as the “Christian island” in the middle of a hostile Muslim “sea,” Ethiopia adopted protective policies toward the outside world – and particularly towards its Muslim neighbors. These proximity-distance dynamics are crucial when trying to understand the contacts between Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia. Paying particular attention to the religious aspect of interactions, wherein Salafism is of importance, this talk will examine Saudi outreach activities, Ethiopia’s efforts to thwart these, and how Ethiopian Muslims’ attempts to negotiate in-between this produced complex relations characterized by a combination of proximity, restrictions, distance, and contact.