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FEUDING AND THE ‘MYTH OF MASCULINITY’ AS EXPRESSED THROUGH THE TRADITIONAL VERBAL ARTS IN EASTERN GOǦǦAM, AMHARA REGION [Abstract ID: 1214-01]
People in northern and north-western Ethiopia traditionally associate ‘masculinity’ with the determination not to surrender to enemies, hardships, or other challenges that demand physical strength. It is likewise related to the readiness to vow vengeance and the ability to take revenge. Based on ethnographic research carried out among Goǧǧame Amhara peasants, this paper discusses how the emic concepts of masculinity (or the myth of masculinity) are reflected in the traditional oral discourse and how this dis-course may fuel feuding. It documents a genuine collection of masculine names, proverbs and sayings, war chants and songs, and idiomatic expressions through which aggressive masculinity is encouraged and defensive, peaceful or faint-hearted behavior is discouraged. The study sheds light on the verbal dimension of male gender socialization and feuding.