Abstract
This article examines the nature and impacts of the 1974 Ethiopian revolution on pastoralists who live on Ethiopia's southern periphery. By focusing on Boräna subprovince, the article discusses how the revolution reshaped the everyday life of the region's predominantly pastoralist populations. I argue that although the pastoralist economy of the region shielded it from the major socioeconomic and political dislocation that were seen in the agrarian parts of southern Ethiopia following the outbreak of the Revolution, the Revolution opened up space for local contradictions that had remained latent under the imperial regime to resurface with intensity. In particular, the weak political and military power of the early Därg government created a political vacuum that encouraged the outbreak of pastoralist violence, which had devastating consequence for the life and livelihoods of the people of the region. Furthermore, interethnic violence during the early days of Därg rule intersected with a pastoralist insurgency supported by neighboring Somalia. This rebellion would further disrupt the economy and life of the people and delay the implementation of the Därg's encadrement project.
