Namhla Thando Matshanda
Biographic Data
| ID | 225134 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Namhla Thando Matshanda |
| GIVEN NAMES | Namhla Thando |
| FAMILY NAME | Matshanda |
| SIGNATURE | MATSHANDA N T |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of the Western Cape |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7879-8196 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 8 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 9 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2019 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
From Hydro Politics to Geopolitics
This paper examines the prospects for Egypt–Ethiopia relations in the context of their membership in BRICS+. Drawing on theoretical insights from critical constructivism, the paper finds intersecting social claims between the two countries. The paper argues that geopolitical competition between Egypt and Ethiopia is likely to continue at the regional level, despite their BRICS+ membership, while some cooperation on international issues can be exp…
Professor Maxi Schoeman (1954–2025)
The academic community, including Politikon mourns the passing of Professor Maxi Schoeman, who transitioned peacefully on 14 September 2025 at the age of 70. A former Board Member of Politikon, Pro
The causes and consequences of the 2018 failed peace agreement between the Oromo Liberation Front and the Ethiopian government
Following the 2018 political reforms in Ethiopia, many rebel groups that were fighting against the government and labelled as ‘terrorists’ were allowed to return to the country. The most prominent of these was the Oromo Liberation Front, which had been based in Eritrea before it was granted amnesty. Subsequently, the Oromo Liberation Front announced a ceasefire, made a peace agreement with the Ethiopian government in the Eritrean capital Asmara a…
Political Identity as Temporal Collapse
Since the 1980s, analyses of African political identities have emphasized identity manipulation as a governance tool. In the Somali Horn of Africa, however, politicians’ efforts to reinvent identities confront rigid understandings of genealogical clanship as a key component of identity and political mobilization. This article explores how government efforts to construct a new ‘Ethiopian–Somali’ identity within Ethiopia’s ethnic-federal system are…
The crisis of the postcolonial nation‐state and the emergence of alternative forms of statehood in the Horn of Africa
This article contextualises the crisis of the nation‐state in Africa. It does so by foregrounding the ongoing crises of the state in the Horn of Africa as evidence of the broader challenges of statehood on the continent. The Horn of Africa is viewed as a region of conflict and instability. Yet, the dominant analyses have not considered that the region is at the forefront of alternative imaginations of political community. This article proposes th…
Teaching & learning guide for
The African postcolonial state is in crisis, and it has been for a while. The sources and forms of this crisis are multiple in nature. My focus on this article is on the political aspects of this crisis. The idea of the African postcolonial state became a reality when the majority of former colonies in Africa gained independence from European colonial rule. What these former colonies inherited was not entirely clear at the time. What was evident …
Ethiopia's civil wars
This article investigates the historical and structural foundations of the war between the northern Tigray region of Ethiopia and the federal government. It does so by employing Mamdani's theoretical framework of rethinking the politics of national belonging. The article considers one of the central propositions in Mamdani's broad vision of political decolonisation, that of reimagining the relationship between nation and state in the face of viol…
Ethiopian reforms and the resolution of uncertainty in the Horn of Africa state system
This article investigates the potential impact of the reforms sweeping across Ethiopia on the Horn of Africa state system. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia is currently undergoing significant reforms that will have regional implications. Two announcements stand out: the normalisation of relations with the northern neighbour Eritrea and the signing of a peace deal with the domestically based Ogaden National Liberation Fr…
Constructing citizens and subjects in eastern Ethiopia
This article investigates the construction of citizens and subjects in eastern Ethiopia during the period of the British Military Administration from 1944 to 1954. It does so by examining processes of identity formation during this period. The article argues that when Britain administered parts of eastern Ethiopia during this period it entrenched customary authority, which became a focal point around which Ethiopian and British forms of dominatio…
Constructing citizens and subjects in eastern Ethiopia
This article investigates the construction of citizens and subjects in eastern Ethiopia during the period of the British Military Administration from 1944 to 1954. It does so by examining processes of identity formation during this period. The article argues that when Britain administered parts of eastern Ethiopia during this period it entrenched customary authority, which became a focal point around which Ethiopian and British forms of dominatio…
Political Identity as Temporal Collapse
Since the 1980s, analyses of African political identities have emphasized identity manipulation as a governance tool. In the Somali Horn of Africa, however, politicians’ efforts to reinvent identities confront rigid understandings of genealogical clanship as a key component of identity and political mobilization. This article explores how government efforts to construct a new ‘Ethiopian–Somali’ identity within Ethiopia’s ethnic-federal system are…
The crisis of the postcolonial nation‐state and the emergence of alternative forms of statehood in the Horn of Africa
This article contextualises the crisis of the nation‐state in Africa. It does so by foregrounding the ongoing crises of the state in the Horn of Africa as evidence of the broader challenges of statehood on the continent. The Horn of Africa is viewed as a region of conflict and instability. Yet, the dominant analyses have not considered that the region is at the forefront of alternative imaginations of political community. This article proposes th…
Ethiopia's civil wars
This article investigates the historical and structural foundations of the war between the northern Tigray region of Ethiopia and the federal government. It does so by employing Mamdani's theoretical framework of rethinking the politics of national belonging. The article considers one of the central propositions in Mamdani's broad vision of political decolonisation, that of reimagining the relationship between nation and state in the face of viol…
Ethiopian reforms and the resolution of uncertainty in the Horn of Africa state system
This article investigates the potential impact of the reforms sweeping across Ethiopia on the Horn of Africa state system. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia is currently undergoing significant reforms that will have regional implications. Two announcements stand out: the normalisation of relations with the northern neighbour Eritrea and the signing of a peace deal with the domestically based Ogaden National Liberation Fr…
Constructing citizens and subjects in eastern Ethiopia
This article investigates the construction of citizens and subjects in eastern Ethiopia during the period of the British Military Administration from 1944 to 1954. It does so by examining processes of identity formation during this period. The article argues that when Britain administered parts of eastern Ethiopia during this period it entrenched customary authority, which became a focal point around which Ethiopian and British forms of dominatio…
Ethiopian reforms and the resolution of uncertainty in the Horn of Africa state system
This article investigates the potential impact of the reforms sweeping across Ethiopia on the Horn of Africa state system. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia is currently undergoing significant reforms that will have regional implications. Two announcements stand out: the normalisation of relations with the northern neighbour Eritrea and the signing of a peace deal with the domestically based Ogaden National Liberation Fr…
The crisis of the postcolonial nation‐state and the emergence of alternative forms of statehood in the Horn of Africa
This article contextualises the crisis of the nation‐state in Africa. It does so by foregrounding the ongoing crises of the state in the Horn of Africa as evidence of the broader challenges of statehood on the continent. The Horn of Africa is viewed as a region of conflict and instability. Yet, the dominant analyses have not considered that the region is at the forefront of alternative imaginations of political community. This article proposes th…
Teaching & learning guide for
The African postcolonial state is in crisis, and it has been for a while. The sources and forms of this crisis are multiple in nature. My focus on this article is on the political aspects of this crisis. The idea of the African postcolonial state became a reality when the majority of former colonies in Africa gained independence from European colonial rule. What these former colonies inherited was not entirely clear at the time. What was evident …
Ethiopia's civil wars
This article investigates the historical and structural foundations of the war between the northern Tigray region of Ethiopia and the federal government. It does so by employing Mamdani's theoretical framework of rethinking the politics of national belonging. The article considers one of the central propositions in Mamdani's broad vision of political decolonisation, that of reimagining the relationship between nation and state in the face of viol…
The causes and consequences of the 2018 failed peace agreement between the Oromo Liberation Front and the Ethiopian government
Following the 2018 political reforms in Ethiopia, many rebel groups that were fighting against the government and labelled as ‘terrorists’ were allowed to return to the country. The most prominent of these was the Oromo Liberation Front, which had been based in Eritrea before it was granted amnesty. Subsequently, the Oromo Liberation Front announced a ceasefire, made a peace agreement with the Ethiopian government in the Eritrean capital Asmara a…
Political Identity as Temporal Collapse
Since the 1980s, analyses of African political identities have emphasized identity manipulation as a governance tool. In the Somali Horn of Africa, however, politicians’ efforts to reinvent identities confront rigid understandings of genealogical clanship as a key component of identity and political mobilization. This article explores how government efforts to construct a new ‘Ethiopian–Somali’ identity within Ethiopia’s ethnic-federal system are…
From Hydro Politics to Geopolitics
This paper examines the prospects for Egypt–Ethiopia relations in the context of their membership in BRICS+. Drawing on theoretical insights from critical constructivism, the paper finds intersecting social claims between the two countries. The paper argues that geopolitical competition between Egypt and Ethiopia is likely to continue at the regional level, despite their BRICS+ membership, while some cooperation on international issues can be exp…
Professor Maxi Schoeman (1954–2025)
The academic community, including Politikon mourns the passing of Professor Maxi Schoeman, who transitioned peacefully on 14 September 2025 at the age of 70. A former Board Member of Politikon, Pro
Politics (8 works) · African history and culture analysis (7 works) · Law (7 works) · Political science (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Political economy (6 works) · Law (5 works) · Colonialism (4 works) · Political Conflict and Governance (4 works) · Development economics (3 works)