The Brass Band of the King

Armenians in Ethiopia

Boris Adjemian author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Published:22nd Aug '24

£90.00

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The Brass Band of the King cover

An interrogation of the concepts of foreignness and national identity, through the story of the Armenian presence in modern Ethiopia

In 1924, the crown prince and future emperor of Ethiopia, Ras Täfäri, on a visit to Jerusalem, called on forty Armenian orphans who had survived the genocide of 1915-1916 to form his empire's royal brass band. The conductor, who was also Armenian, composed the first official anthem of the Ethiopian state. Drawing on this highly symbolic event, and following the history of the small Armenian community in Ethiopia, in this book Boris Adjemian shows how it operated on the margins of political society, hiding in its interstices, preferring intimacy and discreet loyalty to the glitter of open politics. The astonishing role of the Armenians in their host country was embodied in the friendship that the kings and queens of Ethiopia extended to them, a theme that is echoed in the life stories collected from their descendants. Bringing to light the political and cultural importance of a community that has long been ignored and has almost vanished, this study draws on the collective memory of Armenian immigration and the centuries-long history of proximity between the Armenian and Ethiopian Churches. The author argues for a sedentary approach to the diaspora, for a socio-history of this collective rootedness, which dates back to the 19th century and builds on historical representations of otherness from the early modern period up to the colonial era. Highlighting stateless immigrants halfway between the national and the foreign, this history reveals the agency of stateless immigrants and their descendants, their ability to play with identities and undermine assigned belongings. The Brass Band of the King is an original exploration of the social making of nationhood and foreignness in Africa and elsewhere.

This magnificent work is now available in an excellent English translation. Boris Adjemian’s engaging and comprehensive book on Ethiopian-Armenians offers a captivating exploration into the emergence and development of diasporic communities, accompanied by a rich theoretical debate. It is a work that excels in both depth and innovation. * Vahé Tachjian, Chief Editor, Houshamadyan, Germany *
I knew Edward Said well for decades... I won’t hesitate to say that he would have particularly applauded the exploration of Orientalism in Boris’s book. * Khachig Tölölyan, Professor, Wesleyan University, USA *

ISBN: 9780755648412

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

304 pages