ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on Ethiopian scholars and intellectuals in American institutions of higher education. A synoptic history of the development of the culture of writing and reading in ancient Ethiopia; the introduction of modern (Western) education; the emergence of the intellectual class and the political situation in the country that prompted them to exile will be elucidated.
The political situation and turmoil in Ethiopia in the mid-1970s was the beginning of migration or the exodus of Ethiopia’s highly educated and trained people. The main cause for migration of Ethiopians and attraction to the US; the ties they maintain with their home country and their contributions to American academic, economic, social, and mosaic culture will be discussed.
Ethiopia is an old country, with a long history, and its own script which is unique in Africa. When a semblance of modern bureaucracy emerged in the nineteenth century, products of religious schools joined the new bureaucracy. The first generation of Ethiopia’s educated class was satisfied with what the country had to offer and leaving the country was not contemplated.
Under the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie, Ethiopians were sent overseas for higher education and specialized training. Accordingly, few students were sent to the United States for higher education in the 1950s. Almost all of them returned to Ethiopia. The exodus of Ethiopian educated and trained classes began in the 1970s because of the political crisis in the country. American institutions of higher education attracted Ethiopian scholars and intellectuals.
Some pull factors (attractions) for Ethiopian intellectuals towards the United States were the prevalence of political freedom, the protection of human rights and the freedom enjoyed by American academia. Those who were enrolled in American universities opted to remain in the United States after graduation. Most of them joined American universities as lecturers and researchers.
