POLITICS AND IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION IN ERITREAN STUDIES, c. 1970-1991: THE MAKING OF Voix Erythree

Abstract

This essay explores the nuances of identity construction in Eritrea from about 1970 to 1991. Thirty years of war (from 1961 to 1991) left Eritrea with a legacy of images and their interpreters on the world stage. Less well known, however, is that Eritrea's wouldbe interpreters only joined in the rebellion after its first decade. While they helped reinvent Eritrea and expand Western support for the war, their actions also fueled new conflicts at home, as some identities had to be filtered, discounted, or displaced. Embodying this process is voix Érythrée, the view of nation making that prevailed at the end of the war. The essay examines how voix Érythrée took shape in the 1970s and 1980s, the individuals who formed the coalition of insurgent leaders and foot soldiers that nurtured the transformations, and how information about Eritrea in Western journals changed from a trickle to a flood. It also discusses major shifts in loyalties in Eritrea, how such shifts fed into the construction and appeal of liberationist discourse, and the building blocks of the field of Eritrean studies.