Managing Dispute in Everyday Life: The Case of Avoidance in Context of the Arsii Oromo Culture, Ethiopia

Abstract

When norms for resource exchange are violated and the essences of social relations are
challenged, disputes often emerge among people. These disputes have to be handled
through one or more of the various dispute management strategies. This paper discusses
one such strategy among the Arsii Oromo called hammeenna - which approaches the
concept of avoidance in its essence. Hammeenna refers to the situation where disputants
engage in mutual avoidance by refusing talking to each other, and severing channel of
communication and resource sharing. Data generated through case studies and in-depth
interviews in the Arsii Oromo villages and towns revealed that: (1) People routinely
employ avoidance as strategy for managing disputes. (2) Almost all the dispute cases
that resulted in avoidance occurred among people with prior intimate relations who are
involved in breach of promises related to informal resources exchange or mutual
obligations (or expectations). (3) Avoidance serves as moral and social pressure
imposed on (or felt by) a wrongdoer. (4) Avoidance may have two simultaneous
consequences: in the short term, avoidance curtails avenues of cooperation and
solidarity. This is important particularly in a setting where social solidarity and informal
exchange of resources is so essential for people’s everyday life. On the other hand,
avoidance manages a dispute from developing into a violent conflict. It contributes
towards conflict resolution and people’s long-term co-existence by maintaining ‘cracks’
caused by a dispute narrow enough to be mended.