Tom Boylston - The Stranger at the Feast: Prohibition and Mediation in an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Community

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This research was made possible by an ESRC studentship PTA-031200600143 and by a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship.

The Stranger at the Feast

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The Stranger at the Feast: Prohibition and Mediation in an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Community, by Tom Boylston

The Stranger at the Feast

Prohibition and Mediation in an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Community

Tom Boylston

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS

University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu .

University of California Press

Oakland, California

2018 by Tom Boylston

Suggested citation: Boylston, T. The Stranger at the Feast: Prohibition and Mediation in an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Community . Oakland: University of California Press, 2018. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/luminos.44

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND license. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses .

was first published in different form in Africa Vol. 87, No. 2, 11.04.2017, p. 387406, under the title From sickness to history: Evil spirits, memory, and responsibility in an Ethiopian market village. (2017)

Material from was first published in Material Religion 11(3): 281302, under the title: And Unto Dust Thou Shalt Return: Death and the Semiotics of Remembrance in an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Village. (2015).

was first published under the title: Sharing Space: On the Publicity of Prayer, between an Ethiopian Village and the Rest of the World in Praying with the Senses: Contemporary Orthodox Christian Spirituality in Practice. Ed. Sonja Luehrmann. Bloomington: Indiana University Press (2018).

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Boylston, Tom, 1980- author.

Title: The stranger at the feast: prohibition and mediation in an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian community / Tom Boylston.

Description: Oakland, California: University of California Press, [2018] | Includes bibliographical references and index. |

Identifiers: LCCN 2017038245 (print) | LCCN 2017041872 (ebook) | ISBN 9780520968974 (ebook) | ISBN 9780520296497 (pbk.: alk. Paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Christianity EthiopiaCase studies. | TabooEthiopia Case studies. | Mediation Religious aspectsChristianityCase studies. | Ethiopia Church history.

Classification: LCC BR1370 (ebook) | LCC BR1370 .B69 2018 (print) DDC 281/.75 dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017038245

MAP 1. Zege Peninsula.

Amharic transliteration is based on the system used by A. Pankhurst (1992). This system minimizes diacritics and is more approachable to nonspecialists than those used for technical linguistic work.

The vowels are represented as follows:

1st order: e (pronounced as in d e mocracy)

2nd order: u (as in l u nar

3rd order: (as in F i j i )

4th order: a (as in f a ther)

5th order: (as in fianc)

6th order: i (as in med i cine)

7th order: o (as in v o te)

Explosive consonants are represented by q, t, s, ch, and p. Gemination is indicated by doubling of the consonant where appropriate.

I have run up far too many intellectual debts to count since this research began. First of all I am grateful to everyone in Zege who has looked after me and put up with my questions: to Thomas and Haregwa, Abebe and Zebirhan, Abbo, Antihun and Askay, Eyayehu and Yekaba, Kassahun and Wibay, to Menilek, Babbi, and Masti, to Aderaw and Getaneh, to Temesgen, Tillik Sew, Selam, Beza, Endalew, Yitayal, Mulet, Abderajah, to Taddesse and to gash Tesfaye. I am grateful to Yilekal for his help in starting this work, and to Amare for introducing me. I thank everybody in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church who has assisted me with such patience: Abba Som and Abba Melake Gennet; Abba Haylemaryam, Mergta Worq, Mislen Fantahun, Memhir Abbi, and in Addis Ababa to Memhir Daniel, who was always willing to explain things. Tefera Ewnetu has shared his expertise and time with unmatched generosity. Igzabhr yistilli lehullachihu. I owe special debts to the works of Tihut Yirgu Asfaw, Binayew Tamrat, and Abdussamad Ahmad, who have set the standard for studying Zege.

In Bahir Dar I am also tremendously grateful for the friendship of Anna, Kyle, Saul and Juliet, John Dulin, Anita, Caitlin, Stef, and all the Peace Corps folks. In Addis Ababa Makeda Ketcham, Yodit Hermann-Mesfin, Stphane Ancel, Alula Pankhurst, and many others have provided generous guidance, and Brook Beyene introduced me to Amharic language and literature with flair and wit. Izabela Orlowska was a gracious host and an academic inspiration. Ralph Lee has shared freely his immense knowledge of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church. Sara Marzagora has been an inspirational scholar.