Named and Lived

Identity, Memory, and the Domestic Slave Experience in Shäwa (Ethiopia), ca. 1830s to 1943

Abstract

This article examines the historical background of domestic slavery in Ethiopia, offering a reconstruction of enslaved domestic life within the regional and local— history of Shäwa. Centering on the practice of renaming the enslaved individuals, the study explores the social implications of this phenomenon, and its significance within Ethiopia’s broader historical context. The integration of oral narratives to achieve a nuanced analysis sheds light on how slave-naming practices have been preserved, transmitted, and embedded within the wider Ethiopian memory and the evolving field of slavery studies. Drawing on historical accounts from European travelers, oral testimonies from central and North-eastern Shawa particularly those of formerly enslaved such as Ato Zäwde Näsibu of Ankobär and the domestic slave life witness, Ǝmmǝḥoy Bǝzunäš Tǝʾǝzazu of Addis Aläm—the article illuminates key dimensions of domestic slavery. The 1830s are selected as a focal period because the available sources vividly reflect the lived realities of domestic slavery in the study area. Likewise, 1943 marks a critical point of reference, as it was the year in which the 1942 Imperial edict abolishing slavery began to be implemented across Ethiopia, including in the region understudy. Through this approach, the article aims to deepen understanding of Ethiopia’s complex history of slavery and the long-term effects on the social dynamics of Ethiopia.