Faculty of Arts

De Sisto: Oral Narratives and the Legacy of Discrimination

Department of History event on Nov. 20, 2012: "Oral Narratives and the Legacy of Discrimination of Occupational Groups in Ethiopia"    

Dr. Federica de Sisto, Faculty of Social Science, University of Rome

Dr. de Sisto teaches social psychology at the University of Rome. She did her PhD at Trinity College in Ireland and has been doing conflict transformation research since 2004.

Much of de Sisto's work has looked at the Manjo of Ethiopia, hunters by tradition, who have been discriminated again over centuries. This discrimination takes many forms across several dimensions, as listed below.

• Spatial discrimination – The Manjo are restricted to living on the outskirts of villages and are not allowed to take part in ceremonies.
• Economic discrimination – The Manjo have only limited access to land and to the market.
• Political discrimination – There is no leadership position.
• Social discrimination – Any kind of social interaction is restricted and intermarriage is strictly forbidden.
• Cultural discrimination – This includes negative stereotyping, whereby the Manjo are held responsible for their position in society in myths, but also verbal discrimination in their everyday lives, whereby the Manjo are required to address others by saying “May I lie down to you.”

De Sisto has found that previous efforts to address the conflict have focused on the political and economic aspects of life. She contends that there needs to be an integration of cultural awareness into these efforts as culture can be a powerful way of building and changing relationships among groups.