Building Power in Rural Hinterlands: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Vernacular Architecture in Tigray, Ethiopia

Author: Lyons, Diane

Source: Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, Volume 14, Number 2, June 2007 , pp. 179-207(29)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

In Tigray, Ethiopia highland farmers and noblemen used a common vernacular architecture to build places of political authority and power during the last century of Ethiopia's feudal economy. This study contributes to the perspective that domestic houses are active political locales integrated into the larger political landscape. In addition, it is argued that vernacular architectural style generates hierarchical power in part by manipulating building strategies usually attributed to monumental construction. The study concludes that vernacular architecture is actively engaged in rendering a political aesthetic that reproduces state authority in rural hinterlands.

Keywords: vernacular architecture; power; Ethiopia; ethnoarchaeology; agency

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10816-007-9031-7

Affiliations: 1: Email: dlyons@ucalgary.ca

Publication date: 2007-06-01