The Wheel of Autonomy

More about the book

The Kara, a small ethnic group in southern Ethiopia, navigate their survival amid larger surrounding populations through a unique interplay of distinction and autonomy. By employing a rhetorical framework, the book analyzes how the Kara manage ethnic and non-ethnic differences, their relationships with neighbors, and their integration into the Ethiopian state. The "Wheel of Autonomy" model illustrates their strategies for maintaining agency and social relations, providing an innovative perspective on the dynamics of small populations in complex social landscapes.