Programmes
Peace-building
Ethnic Diversity and Federalism: Constitution making in South Africa and Ethiopia
Dr Yonatan Fessha published a book on constitution-making in divided societies. Dr Fessha was a doctoral researcher in the Local Government Project from 2005 to 2009 and then a post doctoral fellow until early 2010. He is now a senior lecturer at the Law Faculty of the University of the Western Cape.
- ISBN: 978-1-4094-0310-4
- Author: Dr Yonatan T. Fessha
- Publishing Date: Dec 01, 2010
How federalism can be used to provide recognition and accommodate ethnic groups is an important topic, not only in Africa, but to multi-ethnic communities around the world. The book examines how institutions of multi-ethnic states have been designed to accommodate ethnic diversity while at the same time maintaining national unity. It locates institutional responses to the challenges of ethnic diversity within the context of a federal arrangement.
It examines how a federal arrangement has been used to reconcile the conflicting pressures of the demand for the recognition of distinctive identities, on the one hand, and the promotion of political and territorial integrity, on the other. It uses South Africa and Ethiopia as case studies as the two federal systems provide a contrasting approach to issues of ethnic diversity.
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