Terje Østebø
Biographic Data
| ID | 180779 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Terje Østebø |
| GIVEN NAMES | Terje |
| FAMILY NAME | Østebø |
| SIGNATURE | ØSTEBØ T |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Florida |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0810-099X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 74 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 25 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Ownership, nativism, and conflict: The case of the 2020 violence in Shashemene
The killing of the Oromo singer Hachalu Hundessa in 2020 sparked a wave of violence across the southern Rift Valley. Shashemene was particularly hit hard, leaving an unknown number of people killed, thousands temporarily displaced, and numerous private houses and businesses destroyed. Identity-based communal violence is hardly a new phenomenon in Ethiopia but there are, we believe, some emerging new dynamics that need to be analysed. This article…
Introduction: Religion and politics in post-EPRDF Ethiopia
PM Abiy Ahmed’s politics, his institutional reforms, as well as the civil war and ongoing insurgencies erupting during his tenure have placed significant strains on Ethiopia’s religious communities, even as many initially welcomed his sermonising rhetoric. This article begins with a longer history of religion and politics in Ethiopia, in order to contextualise Abiy’s rise to power and the role of religious rhetoric in his governing platform. It t…
The religion of Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed: Pentecostalism, prosperity gospel and the power of positive thinking
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's religious rhetoric and policies stand in sharp contrast to his predecessors during the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) period, who carefully and deliberately kept the political discourse free of any religious references. Many were taken by surprise by his pronounced Pentecostal faith. This surprise is arguably a reflection of how scholars and observers have ignored developments within Ethiopia'…
Salafism and the local: Negotiation, accommodation and Re-localization of Ethiopian Salafism
Religious Dynamics and Conflicts in Contemporary Ethiopia: Expansion, Protection, and Reclaiming Space
Ethiopia has often been portrayed as a unique case of peaceful inter-religious relations. The country has, however, seen an increase in violence between religious communities over the last decades, something which has been interpreted within the prism of extremism. Analyzing inter-religious dynamics in Ethiopia, Østebø argues that the notion of extremism is an inadequate analytical tool, and proposes instead an alternative approach that explores …
Introduction: The Formation of Religious Minorities in Muslim Africa
Minorities are not defined by mere numbers but must be considered as emergent formations within their wider surroundings. As such, minorities are defined by the relations to their majorities, especially by the differences to, but also by their exchanges with them, which have an impact on their lives and communal identities. Minorities emerge in larger processes and narratives by which their surrounding societies render themselves into imagined co…
Routledge Handbook of Islam in Africa
Health and politics in pandemic times: Covid-19 responses in Ethiopia
With a focus on responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Ethiopia and on political developments that have occurred in the country during the pandemic, this article contributes to the existing scholarship that explores the relationship between health and politics. Drawing on qualitative data from the project ‘COVID-19 Impact Tracing in Ethiopia: Social, Economic, Political, and Security Ramifications’, carried out in the Tigray, Amhara …
Religion and the ‘Secular shadow’: Responses to covid-19 in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, both Christians and Muslims interpreted the Covid-19 pandemic as God's punishment for sin. Prayer, fasting, and congregating in houses of worship therefore became important as means to plead God to act; practices that deviated from the biomedically informed efforts promoted by the Ethiopian government. This article explores these religious perceptions and practices and how they were negotiated in relation to official public health po…
God’s Wrath in the Era of the Digidemic: Religious Interpretations of Covid-19 in Ethiopia
During the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, many Ethiopians viewed the pandemic as an expression of God’s punishment for sin. Although such interpretations reflect historical continuity, an analysis of these sentiments and of how the pandemic unfolded in Ethiopia reveal an interesting conundrum. Whereas the Covid-19 pandemic clearly has had devastating impacts all over the world, the very experiences that historically generated interpretatio…
Islam, Ethnicity, and Conflict in Ethiopia: The Bale Insurgency, 1963-1970
Interpreting contemporary Oromo politics in Ethiopia: An Ethnographic Approach
Decades of both non-violent and armed struggle did not bring much result to the Oromo quest for political power over the Ethiopian state, and contemporary Oromo politics often appear recondite and discordant. When Abiy Ahmed came to power as the new Prime Minister in April 2018 as the first Oromo politician entering the former imperial palace, many believed it was the Oromo's turn to rule. Developments since then have, however, revealed a far mor…
Ethiopian Muslims and the discourse about moderation
This article provides insights into particular aspects of contemporary Islamic reformism in Ethiopia, focusing on what we have labelled the Intellectualist movement. Analysing the trajectory and the ideological underpinnings of the movement from the early 1990s to the present, the study interrogates the assertion that Ethiopian Islam has moved in a radical direction and argues that the Intellectualist movement has been a significant force moderat…
Islamic Reformism as Networks of Meaning
This study focuses on the issue of Islamic reformism and provides insights to a highly diverse and ambiguous phenomenon. Located in contemporary Ethiopia, the case in point for the study is what I have labeled the Intellectualist movement. De-institutionalized and decentered in character, the movement was a major player on the Ethiopian religious and political scene, and contributed significantly to the shaping of generations of young Muslims fro…
The Making of Salafism: Islamic Reform in the Twentieth Century, written by Henri Lauzière
African Salafism: Religious Purity and the Politicization of Purity
There is much ambiguity in terms of how Salafism is understood as an empirical phenomenon and how it is used as an analytical concept. This is partly because it often occurs rather uncritically in the media and in public discourses, but also due to the fact that Salafism represents a phenomenon encompassing a broad range of issues. This paper gives an overview over features and trends inherent in what I call African Salafism, focusing on issues s…
Claims for Authority at the Shrine of Shaykh Husayn, Ethiopia
Imām Muhyī al-Dīn was officially reinstated as the imām and main leader of the Dirre Shaykh Husayn shrine in 2005. His claim for power has, however been highly contested, and the current leadership and opposing groups at Dirre Shaykh Ḥusayn have effectively blocked him from accessing any real authority. His appointment has subsequently intensified a conflict over leadership positions which has lasted for decades, and which has divided the shrine’…
The revenge of the Jinns: Spirits, Salafi reform, and the continuity in change in contemporary Ethiopia
Islam and State Relations in Ethiopia: "From Containment to the Production of a "Governmental Islam
The quest for distinguishing between “moderate” and “extremist” Muslims has become an increasingly pressing issue over the last decade. While this is generally construed as a Western project, depicting a reality of the West versus Islam, it overlooks the role of non-Western actors and of alternative images of Islam; it ignores the agency of Muslims themselves and how intrareligious tensions are being merged with the “war on terror” narrative. Thi…
Islam and Christianity in the Horn of Africa: Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan
EPRDF's revolutionary democracy and religious plurality: Islam and Christianity in post-DergEthiopia
In 1991 the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) introduced policies aimed at recognizing the country’s long-standing religious diversity, providing a public arena for religious groups, and maintaining a sharp division between religion and the state. This further roded the traditionally dominant position of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, strengthened Protestant Christian and Muslim communities, and created a more flux and com…
Local Reformers and the Search for Change: The Emergence of Salafism in Bale, Ethiopia
Since 1991 Salafism has gained renewed strength in Ethiopia, spurred increased tensions within the Muslim community, and created concern among the Christian population. This contribution focuses on the early emergence of Salafism in the area of Bale, currently one of the movement's strongholds. It discusses its initial arrival in south-eastern Ethiopia, and pays particular attention to the developments in Bale during the 1960s. Challenging the no…
Une économie salafie de la prière dans la région du Balé en Éthiopie
Cet article est consacré aux processus de transformation religieuse et au développement d’une économie de la prière salafie dans la localité de Balé en Éthiopie. En observant l’évolution de ce mouvement des années 1960 à nos jours, l’article révèle la corrélation existant entre la poursuite de la réforme religieuse d’une part et la modification des structures socio-économiques et l’émergence de nouveaux schémas d’échanges translocaux d’autre part…
The Question of Becoming: Islamic Reform Movements in Contemporary Ethiopia
Facilitated by a new (since 1991) political climate, enhancing Muslim opportunities for religious expression, several Islamic reform movements have surfaced in Ethiopia. Under consideration here are the Salafi movement, the Tabligh movement and an Intellectualist revivalist movement, each of which was crucial for the reconfiguration of religious affiliation, and served as a channel in the search for belonging and coherent meaning. Discussing the …
Erlich, Haggai, Saudi Arabia & Ethiopia: Islam, Christianity & Politics Entwined
Reviews Erlich, Haggai, Saudi Arabia & Ethiopia: Islam, Christianity & Politics Entwined , Boulder & London, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2007, 249 pp., 987 1 58826 493 0, $49.95. In a situation where global events, developments in the Horn of Africa as well as currents within Ethiopia have led to a renewed focus on Wahhabism and the role of Saudi Arabia, this latest contribution by Haggai Erlich, a long-time student of Ethiopia, provides valu- able…
EPRDF's revolutionary democracy and religious plurality: Islam and Christianity in post-DergEthiopia
In 1991 the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) introduced policies aimed at recognizing the country’s long-standing religious diversity, providing a public arena for religious groups, and maintaining a sharp division between religion and the state. This further roded the traditionally dominant position of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, strengthened Protestant Christian and Muslim communities, and created a more flux and com…
Interpreting contemporary Oromo politics in Ethiopia: An Ethnographic Approach
Decades of both non-violent and armed struggle did not bring much result to the Oromo quest for political power over the Ethiopian state, and contemporary Oromo politics often appear recondite and discordant. When Abiy Ahmed came to power as the new Prime Minister in April 2018 as the first Oromo politician entering the former imperial palace, many believed it was the Oromo's turn to rule. Developments since then have, however, revealed a far mor…
African Salafism: Religious Purity and the Politicization of Purity
There is much ambiguity in terms of how Salafism is understood as an empirical phenomenon and how it is used as an analytical concept. This is partly because it often occurs rather uncritically in the media and in public discourses, but also due to the fact that Salafism represents a phenomenon encompassing a broad range of issues. This paper gives an overview over features and trends inherent in what I call African Salafism, focusing on issues s…
Islam and State Relations in Ethiopia: "From Containment to the Production of a "Governmental Islam
The quest for distinguishing between “moderate” and “extremist” Muslims has become an increasingly pressing issue over the last decade. While this is generally construed as a Western project, depicting a reality of the West versus Islam, it overlooks the role of non-Western actors and of alternative images of Islam; it ignores the agency of Muslims themselves and how intrareligious tensions are being merged with the “war on terror” narrative. Thi…
The Question of Becoming: Islamic Reform Movements in Contemporary Ethiopia
Facilitated by a new (since 1991) political climate, enhancing Muslim opportunities for religious expression, several Islamic reform movements have surfaced in Ethiopia. Under consideration here are the Salafi movement, the Tabligh movement and an Intellectualist revivalist movement, each of which was crucial for the reconfiguration of religious affiliation, and served as a channel in the search for belonging and coherent meaning. Discussing the …
Religion and the ‘Secular shadow’: Responses to covid-19 in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, both Christians and Muslims interpreted the Covid-19 pandemic as God's punishment for sin. Prayer, fasting, and congregating in houses of worship therefore became important as means to plead God to act; practices that deviated from the biomedically informed efforts promoted by the Ethiopian government. This article explores these religious perceptions and practices and how they were negotiated in relation to official public health po…
Local Reformers and the Search for Change: The Emergence of Salafism in Bale, Ethiopia
Since 1991 Salafism has gained renewed strength in Ethiopia, spurred increased tensions within the Muslim community, and created concern among the Christian population. This contribution focuses on the early emergence of Salafism in the area of Bale, currently one of the movement's strongholds. It discusses its initial arrival in south-eastern Ethiopia, and pays particular attention to the developments in Bale during the 1960s. Challenging the no…
Religious Dynamics and Conflicts in Contemporary Ethiopia: Expansion, Protection, and Reclaiming Space
Ethiopia has often been portrayed as a unique case of peaceful inter-religious relations. The country has, however, seen an increase in violence between religious communities over the last decades, something which has been interpreted within the prism of extremism. Analyzing inter-religious dynamics in Ethiopia, Østebø argues that the notion of extremism is an inadequate analytical tool, and proposes instead an alternative approach that explores …
The revenge of the Jinns: Spirits, Salafi reform, and the continuity in change in contemporary Ethiopia
God’s Wrath in the Era of the Digidemic: Religious Interpretations of Covid-19 in Ethiopia
During the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, many Ethiopians viewed the pandemic as an expression of God’s punishment for sin. Although such interpretations reflect historical continuity, an analysis of these sentiments and of how the pandemic unfolded in Ethiopia reveal an interesting conundrum. Whereas the Covid-19 pandemic clearly has had devastating impacts all over the world, the very experiences that historically generated interpretatio…
Islamic Reformism as Networks of Meaning
This study focuses on the issue of Islamic reformism and provides insights to a highly diverse and ambiguous phenomenon. Located in contemporary Ethiopia, the case in point for the study is what I have labeled the Intellectualist movement. De-institutionalized and decentered in character, the movement was a major player on the Ethiopian religious and political scene, and contributed significantly to the shaping of generations of young Muslims fro…
Ethiopian Muslims and the discourse about moderation
This article provides insights into particular aspects of contemporary Islamic reformism in Ethiopia, focusing on what we have labelled the Intellectualist movement. Analysing the trajectory and the ideological underpinnings of the movement from the early 1990s to the present, the study interrogates the assertion that Ethiopian Islam has moved in a radical direction and argues that the Intellectualist movement has been a significant force moderat…
Une économie salafie de la prière dans la région du Balé en Éthiopie
Cet article est consacré aux processus de transformation religieuse et au développement d’une économie de la prière salafie dans la localité de Balé en Éthiopie. En observant l’évolution de ce mouvement des années 1960 à nos jours, l’article révèle la corrélation existant entre la poursuite de la réforme religieuse d’une part et la modification des structures socio-économiques et l’émergence de nouveaux schémas d’échanges translocaux d’autre part…
Erlich, Haggai, Saudi Arabia & Ethiopia: Islam, Christianity & Politics Entwined
Reviews Erlich, Haggai, Saudi Arabia & Ethiopia: Islam, Christianity & Politics Entwined , Boulder & London, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2007, 249 pp., 987 1 58826 493 0, $49.95. In a situation where global events, developments in the Horn of Africa as well as currents within Ethiopia have led to a renewed focus on Wahhabism and the role of Saudi Arabia, this latest contribution by Haggai Erlich, a long-time student of Ethiopia, provides valu- able…
The Question of Becoming: Islamic Reform Movements in Contemporary Ethiopia
Facilitated by a new (since 1991) political climate, enhancing Muslim opportunities for religious expression, several Islamic reform movements have surfaced in Ethiopia. Under consideration here are the Salafi movement, the Tabligh movement and an Intellectualist revivalist movement, each of which was crucial for the reconfiguration of religious affiliation, and served as a channel in the search for belonging and coherent meaning. Discussing the …
Une économie salafie de la prière dans la région du Balé en Éthiopie
Cet article est consacré aux processus de transformation religieuse et au développement d’une économie de la prière salafie dans la localité de Balé en Éthiopie. En observant l’évolution de ce mouvement des années 1960 à nos jours, l’article révèle la corrélation existant entre la poursuite de la réforme religieuse d’une part et la modification des structures socio-économiques et l’émergence de nouveaux schémas d’échanges translocaux d’autre part…
Islam and Christianity in the Horn of Africa: Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan
EPRDF's revolutionary democracy and religious plurality: Islam and Christianity in post-DergEthiopia
In 1991 the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) introduced policies aimed at recognizing the country’s long-standing religious diversity, providing a public arena for religious groups, and maintaining a sharp division between religion and the state. This further roded the traditionally dominant position of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, strengthened Protestant Christian and Muslim communities, and created a more flux and com…
Local Reformers and the Search for Change: The Emergence of Salafism in Bale, Ethiopia
Since 1991 Salafism has gained renewed strength in Ethiopia, spurred increased tensions within the Muslim community, and created concern among the Christian population. This contribution focuses on the early emergence of Salafism in the area of Bale, currently one of the movement's strongholds. It discusses its initial arrival in south-eastern Ethiopia, and pays particular attention to the developments in Bale during the 1960s. Challenging the no…
The revenge of the Jinns: Spirits, Salafi reform, and the continuity in change in contemporary Ethiopia
Islam and State Relations in Ethiopia: "From Containment to the Production of a "Governmental Islam
The quest for distinguishing between “moderate” and “extremist” Muslims has become an increasingly pressing issue over the last decade. While this is generally construed as a Western project, depicting a reality of the West versus Islam, it overlooks the role of non-Western actors and of alternative images of Islam; it ignores the agency of Muslims themselves and how intrareligious tensions are being merged with the “war on terror” narrative. Thi…
Claims for Authority at the Shrine of Shaykh Husayn, Ethiopia
Imām Muhyī al-Dīn was officially reinstated as the imām and main leader of the Dirre Shaykh Husayn shrine in 2005. His claim for power has, however been highly contested, and the current leadership and opposing groups at Dirre Shaykh Ḥusayn have effectively blocked him from accessing any real authority. His appointment has subsequently intensified a conflict over leadership positions which has lasted for decades, and which has divided the shrine’…
African Salafism: Religious Purity and the Politicization of Purity
There is much ambiguity in terms of how Salafism is understood as an empirical phenomenon and how it is used as an analytical concept. This is partly because it often occurs rather uncritically in the media and in public discourses, but also due to the fact that Salafism represents a phenomenon encompassing a broad range of issues. This paper gives an overview over features and trends inherent in what I call African Salafism, focusing on issues s…
Islamic Reformism as Networks of Meaning
This study focuses on the issue of Islamic reformism and provides insights to a highly diverse and ambiguous phenomenon. Located in contemporary Ethiopia, the case in point for the study is what I have labeled the Intellectualist movement. De-institutionalized and decentered in character, the movement was a major player on the Ethiopian religious and political scene, and contributed significantly to the shaping of generations of young Muslims fro…
The Making of Salafism: Islamic Reform in the Twentieth Century, written by Henri Lauzière
Ethiopian Muslims and the discourse about moderation
This article provides insights into particular aspects of contemporary Islamic reformism in Ethiopia, focusing on what we have labelled the Intellectualist movement. Analysing the trajectory and the ideological underpinnings of the movement from the early 1990s to the present, the study interrogates the assertion that Ethiopian Islam has moved in a radical direction and argues that the Intellectualist movement has been a significant force moderat…
Islam, Ethnicity, and Conflict in Ethiopia: The Bale Insurgency, 1963-1970
Interpreting contemporary Oromo politics in Ethiopia: An Ethnographic Approach
Decades of both non-violent and armed struggle did not bring much result to the Oromo quest for political power over the Ethiopian state, and contemporary Oromo politics often appear recondite and discordant. When Abiy Ahmed came to power as the new Prime Minister in April 2018 as the first Oromo politician entering the former imperial palace, many believed it was the Oromo's turn to rule. Developments since then have, however, revealed a far mor…
Routledge Handbook of Islam in Africa
Health and politics in pandemic times: Covid-19 responses in Ethiopia
With a focus on responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Ethiopia and on political developments that have occurred in the country during the pandemic, this article contributes to the existing scholarship that explores the relationship between health and politics. Drawing on qualitative data from the project ‘COVID-19 Impact Tracing in Ethiopia: Social, Economic, Political, and Security Ramifications’, carried out in the Tigray, Amhara …
Religion and the ‘Secular shadow’: Responses to covid-19 in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, both Christians and Muslims interpreted the Covid-19 pandemic as God's punishment for sin. Prayer, fasting, and congregating in houses of worship therefore became important as means to plead God to act; practices that deviated from the biomedically informed efforts promoted by the Ethiopian government. This article explores these religious perceptions and practices and how they were negotiated in relation to official public health po…
God’s Wrath in the Era of the Digidemic: Religious Interpretations of Covid-19 in Ethiopia
During the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, many Ethiopians viewed the pandemic as an expression of God’s punishment for sin. Although such interpretations reflect historical continuity, an analysis of these sentiments and of how the pandemic unfolded in Ethiopia reveal an interesting conundrum. Whereas the Covid-19 pandemic clearly has had devastating impacts all over the world, the very experiences that historically generated interpretatio…
Introduction: The Formation of Religious Minorities in Muslim Africa
Minorities are not defined by mere numbers but must be considered as emergent formations within their wider surroundings. As such, minorities are defined by the relations to their majorities, especially by the differences to, but also by their exchanges with them, which have an impact on their lives and communal identities. Minorities emerge in larger processes and narratives by which their surrounding societies render themselves into imagined co…
Religious Dynamics and Conflicts in Contemporary Ethiopia: Expansion, Protection, and Reclaiming Space
Ethiopia has often been portrayed as a unique case of peaceful inter-religious relations. The country has, however, seen an increase in violence between religious communities over the last decades, something which has been interpreted within the prism of extremism. Analyzing inter-religious dynamics in Ethiopia, Østebø argues that the notion of extremism is an inadequate analytical tool, and proposes instead an alternative approach that explores …
Salafism and the local: Negotiation, accommodation and Re-localization of Ethiopian Salafism
The religion of Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed: Pentecostalism, prosperity gospel and the power of positive thinking
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's religious rhetoric and policies stand in sharp contrast to his predecessors during the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) period, who carefully and deliberately kept the political discourse free of any religious references. Many were taken by surprise by his pronounced Pentecostal faith. This surprise is arguably a reflection of how scholars and observers have ignored developments within Ethiopia'…
Ownership, nativism, and conflict: The case of the 2020 violence in Shashemene
The killing of the Oromo singer Hachalu Hundessa in 2020 sparked a wave of violence across the southern Rift Valley. Shashemene was particularly hit hard, leaving an unknown number of people killed, thousands temporarily displaced, and numerous private houses and businesses destroyed. Identity-based communal violence is hardly a new phenomenon in Ethiopia but there are, we believe, some emerging new dynamics that need to be analysed. This article…
Introduction: Religion and politics in post-EPRDF Ethiopia
PM Abiy Ahmed’s politics, his institutional reforms, as well as the civil war and ongoing insurgencies erupting during his tenure have placed significant strains on Ethiopia’s religious communities, even as many initially welcomed his sermonising rhetoric. This article begins with a longer history of religion and politics in Ethiopia, in order to contextualise Abiy’s rise to power and the role of religious rhetoric in his governing platform. It t…
African history and culture analysis (22 works) · Political science (21 works) · Sociology (20 works) · Law (16 works) · Islam (14 works) · Philosophy (14 works) · Religion, Society, and Development (13 works) · Politics (12 works) · History (11 works) · Law (9 works)