This project supports the dissertation research of an anthropology student from Stanford University, studying the relationship of racial and ethnic stratification in people (both local and foreign) involved in the tourist industry in Ethiopia. The tourists come from a social system where race often signifies lower social status, while the Ethiopian social system uses ethnic group identity and not race is the marker of status. Through intensive interviews and participant observation of tourists and natives in four distinct regions of the country, the student will investigate how notions of nationhood, statehood, and race influence both Ethiopian and foreign English-speaking tourists' perceptions of themselves and of each other. This study of Ethiopian racial discrimination is valuable because it is not based on an ideology of white supremacy, but instead on the dominance of one regional ethnic group above others. Methods include historical, ethnographic, and mass-media research on how different definitions of history are used to support claims of regional difference. It will also advance our understanding of the impact of tourism, as well as the impact of development programs, on local systems of social stratification. In addition this research will contribute to our nation's expertise about this important area of the world.
