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"Maimire's enlightened exposé of Ethiopian critical philosophy highlights the andmta and moggassa tenets, respectively of the qine and gada traditions. These dynamic intellectual heritages are systemic to internal social, political, and economic practices. They offer, he emphatically argues, strategic, independent and forward-looking interpretations that are emancipatory. --Tsehai Berhane-Selassie, Ph.D. Author of Ethiopian Warriorhood: Defence, Land and Society 1800-1941 (James Currey Press; Oxford, 2018) We have had glimpses of the rich and complex Ethiopian intellectual tradition through the work of Enrico Cerulli, Edward Ullendorff and Donald Levine. It is however, in this massive book (well over 400 pages) that we have an in-depth enquiry into the philosophy and practice of Ethiopian intellectual tradition, that of Quine--a hermeneutic that contains emancipatory dialectic of knowledge. This book, exhaustive as it is, touches only one aspect of Qiné Seména werk (commonly translated as wax and gold). The author uses the Qiné hermeneutics as a tool to interpret and analyse the practices and visions of high- profile personalities from the archives of Ethiopian history, such as Lalibela (end of 12th century) Zara Yacob and the Stephanites (mid 15th century) Ahmed B. Ibrahim (16th century), Tewodros (mid 19th century) as well as the Gada institution. Its central message is that if Ethiopians are to think critically and steadily on Ethiopian conditions from their own history and social practices, they need to retrieve the Qiné. Written by one of the most intriguing philosophers of our time, Qiné Hermeneutics is a crucial input in any discussion on the role and meaning of education for the self and for the society at large. Let us hope that it is soon translated into Amharic. --Tekeste Negash, Ph.D., Author of Rethinking Education in Ethiopia (Nordic Africa Institute, 1996) Maimire Mennasemay has skillfully taken on a Herculean task in writing about qiné hermeneutics and Ethiopian critical theory and their application to contemporary Ethiopia. He parses the absence of inquiry into Ethiopia's ""intellectual tradition,"" and demonstrates why imported ideas and concepts have dominated the country's present-day dialog about modern needs and aspirations. To accomplish this, Maimire traces an intellectual history of the country, interpreting literary texts within sacred and secular traditions and assessing their use of säm ena wärq in revealing and contesting power structures. From Ethiopian history, he finds ""Utopian surpluses"" that may well be rel-evant to the Ethiopian pursuit of democracy and prosperity (or at least improvement in ""poor living"") and have the potential to enliven the nation's meeting head on present-day challenges. Of special note is the ""Ethioperspectivism"" emanating from three indigenous institutions: däbo, iddir, and iqqub (DII). The DII paired with the mog-gaasa perspective of a universally shared political identity or citizenship holds the promise of a new approach to economic and political discourse and action for Ethiopians. The vocabulary of philosophy and sociology plus Amharic terms elucidate this wax and gold treatise. In making his way through the layers of wax necessary to reach his denouement, Maimire has established a new gold standard for describing Ethiopian intellectualism. --Theodor Vestal, Ph.D. Author of The Lion of Judah in the New World: Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and the Shaping of Americans' Attitudes toward Africa (Praeger, 2011)"

Maimire's enlightened expose of Ethiopian critical philosophy highlights the andmta and moggassa tenets, respectively of the qine and gada traditions. These dynamic intellectual heritages are systemic to internal social, political, and economic practices. They offer, he emphatically argues, strategic, independent and forward-looking interpretations that are emancipatory. --Tsehai Berhane-Selassie, Ph.D. Author of Ethiopian Warriorhood: Defence, Land and Society 1800-1941 (James Currey Press; Oxford, 2018) We have had glimpses of the rich and complex Ethiopian intellectual tradition through the work of Enrico Cerulli, Edward Ullendorff and Donald Levine. It is however, in this massive book (well over 400 pages) that we have an in-depth enquiry into the philosophy and practice of Ethiopian intellectual tradition, that of Quine--a hermeneutic that contains emancipatory dialectic of knowledge. This book, exhaustive as it is, touches only one aspect of Qine Semena werk (commonly translated as wax and gold). The author uses the Qine hermeneutics as a tool to interpret and analyse the practices and visions of high- profile personalities from the archives of Ethiopian history, such as Lalibela (end of 12th century) Zara Yacob and the Stephanites (mid 15th century) Ahmed B. Ibrahim (16th century), Tewodros (mid 19th century) as well as the Gada institution. Its central message is that if Ethiopians are to think critically and steadily on Ethiopian conditions from their own history and social practices, they need to retrieve the Qine. Written by one of the most intriguing philosophers of our time, Qine Hermeneutics is a crucial input in any discussion on the role and meaning of education for the self and for the society at large. Let us hope that it is soon translated into Amharic. --Tekeste Negash, Ph.D., Author of Rethinking Education in Ethiopia (Nordic Africa Institute, 1996) Maimire Mennasemay has skillfully taken on a Herculean task in writing about qine hermeneutics and Ethiopian critical theory and their application to contemporary Ethiopia. He parses the absence of inquiry into Ethiopia's intellectual tradition, and demonstrates why imported ideas and concepts have dominated the country's present-day dialog about modern needs and aspirations. To accomplish this, Maimire traces an intellectual history of the country, interpreting literary texts within sacred and secular traditions and assessing their use of sam ena warq in revealing and contesting power structures. From Ethiopian history, he finds Utopian surpluses that may well be rel-evant to the Ethiopian pursuit of democracy and prosperity (or at least improvement in poor living ) and have the potential to enliven the nation's meeting head on present-day challenges. Of special note is the Ethioperspectivism emanating from three indigenous institutions: dabo, iddir, and iqqub (DII). The DII paired with the mog-gaasa perspective of a universally shared political identity or citizenship holds the promise of a new approach to economic and political discourse and action for Ethiopians. The vocabulary of philosophy and sociology plus Amharic terms elucidate this wax and gold treatise. In making his way through the layers of wax necessary to reach his denouement, Maimire has established a new gold standard for describing Ethiopian intellectualism. --Theodor Vestal, Ph.D. Author of The Lion of Judah in the New World: Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and the Shaping of Americans' Attitudes toward Africa (Praeger, 2011)

Author Information

Maimire Mennasemay (PhD) has taught critical theory, world views, and ethics in the Humanities/Philosophy Department of Dawson College. He is currently a scholar in residence at the same institution. He is a founding and still active member of S.P.A.C.E: an academic project committed to developing trans-disciplinary activities that articulate the sciences, philosophy, the Humanities, and the Arts. He was the book review editor of Labour, Capital and Society / Travail, Capital et Société for a number of years and still is a member of its editorial team. He was also a member of the editorial staff of the former Horn of Africa, and is currently a senior editor of the International Journal of Ethiopian Studies. His Publications are in the area of Ethiopian Studies, hermeneutics and critical theory. He has authored Language, Theory, and African Emancipation (University of Liverpool) and published in the Canadian Journal of Modern African Studies, North East African Studies, Horn of Africa, International Journal of Ethiopian Studies, and Africa Today. He has contributed chapters to edited books.

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