Professor Shumet Sishagne

Personal Details  

• Name: Shumet Sishagne, Ph.D
• Email: Sishagne@cnu.edu
• Professor Emeritus of History, Christopher Newport University (1991-2016)
• US Fulbright Scholar, Bahir Dar University (2016-2018)
• Ambassador’s Distinguished Scholars Program (2019 - )

 Education

•  1986-1991 Ph.D., History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 1982-1984 M.A., History, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
• 1969-1973 B.A., History, Haile Selassie I University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

 Teaching Experience

•  Christopher Newport University, Virginia, U.S.A., 1991-2016 Bahir Dar University, 2016 -
• Research Assistant, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1986-1991 Lecturer, Addis Ababa University, 1983-1986
• Secondary School Teacher, Yirgalem, Ethiopia, 1973-1976

 Courses Taught at Christopher Newport University (Undergraduate)

•  Hist 111 & Hist 112 History of World Civilizations
• Hist 370/470: Twentieth Century Africa
• Hist 373/473: Major Themes in Contemporary African History
• Hist 365/465: History of Islam
• Hist 375/475: The Modern Middle East
• Hist 395/495: The Arab-Israeli Conflict
• Hist 395/495: Contemporary Issues in the Horn of Africa
• HIST390: Historiography
• Hist 490: Senior Seminar – Issues of War and Peace in the Middle East and the Role of the U.S.
• SSPS 295: Human Responsibility in Global Change (team taught with faculty from Economics and Sociology & Anth.)

 Graduate

•  Hist 573: Major Themes in Contemporary African History
• Hist 565: History of Islam
• Hist 595: The Twentieth Century World to 1945 (team taught with Robert Saunders)
• Hist 595: The Twentieth Century World Since 1945 (team taught with Robert Saunders)
• Hist 690: Historiography
• Hist 521: Historiography and Advanced Historical Methodology (Bahir Dar University)
• Hist 522: Theories and Methods of Historical Research (Bahir Dar University)
• Hist 701: Advanced Historical Methodology (Bahir Dar University)
• Hist 741: Seminar on Contemporary African Issues (Bahir Dar University)
• Hist 801: Historiography and Advanced Historical Methodology (Jimma University)

 Service at Christopher Newport University

•  Chair of the Department of History, 2000-2007
• CLAS Chairs Curriculum Committee (Chair)
• Faculty Hearing Committee
• Freshman Faculty Advisor
• Senate Faculty Subcommittee on Faculty Space in the Student Center Chair Reader for the Dean’s Office Grants
• Honors Council, member
• College of Liberal Arts Nomination Committee, member M.A.T. Committee
• Undergraduate Curriculum CommitteeThe Bachelor of Arts in International Culture and Commerce Steering Committee International Studies Advisory Committee Peer Group for Instructional Faculty Evaluation
• Affirmative Action Committee
• Faculty Self-Study Committee (Vice Chair)

 Selected Publications

 Book:

 Unionists and Separatists: The Vagaries of Ethio-Eritrean Relation, 1941-1991, TsehaiPublishers, Los Angeles, 2007

Articles:

• Book Review: The Siege of Magdala: The British Empire against the Emperor of Ethiopia. ByVOLKER MATTHIES. Translated by STEVEN RENDALL. Princeton, NJ: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2012. Journal of African History, 53 (3).
• “Sheik Mohammed Hussein Ali Al Amoudi,” in Great Lives From History, EBSCO Publishing (January 2011)
• “Negus Wolde Giyorgis,” in Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, Universität Hamburg, Institut für Afrikanistik und Äthiopistik (2011)
• “Tädla Bayru Ogbit,” in Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, Universität Hamburg, Institut für Afrikanistik und Äthiopistik (2011)
• “Wäldä Ab Wäldä Maryam,” in Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, Universität Hamburg, Institut fürAfrikanistik und Äthiopistik (2010)
• “Haile Selassie Becomes Emperor of Ethiopia,” in Great Events from History: The Twentieth Century, 1901-1940, Salem Press, 2007
• “Britain Represses Somali Rebellion (1920),” in Great Events from History: The Twentieth Century, 1901-1940, Salem Press, 2007.
• “Mengistu Haile Mariam” in Carl L. Bankston (ed.), Great Lives From History: Notorious Lives, Salem Press, January 2007
• “Empress Mentewab ” in John Powell (ed.), Great Lives From History: The Eighteenth Century, Salem Press, 2006
• “British Expedition to Ethiopia, 1868-1869” in John Powell (ed.), Great Events from History: The 19th Century, Salem Press, 2006
• “Emperor Tewodros II, 1818-1868” in John Powell (ed.), Great Lives from History: The Nineteenth Century, Salem Press, 2006
• “The Decline of Ethiopia’s Solomonid Dynasty,” in Larissa J. Taylor (ed.), Great Events From History:The Seventeenth Century, Salem Press, 2005
• Review of Brothers at War: Making Sense of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War by Tekeste Negash and Kjetil Tronvoll, in Northeast African Studies, Vol.7, Issue 3 (Michigan State University Press), 2005.
• “Ethiopia’s Early Solomonic Period Ends: 1527-1543,” in Christina J. Moose (ed.), Great Events
• From History: The Renaissance and Early Modern Era, 1454-1600, Salem Press, 2005
• “Battle of Shimbra Kure, 1528,” in Great Events From History: in Christina J. Moose (ed.), Great
• Events From History: The Renaissance and Early Modern Era, 1454-1600, Salem Press, 2005
• “Mansa Musa Makes the Pilgrimage to Mecca: Significance of Mali, Effects of Mansa Musa’s Largesse on the Egyptian Economy, 1324,” in Brian A. Pavlac (ed.), Great Events From History: The Middle Ages and Pre-Renaissance,” Salem Press, 2004 [This essay was one of 9 sampletexts (out of 322 essays) selected by the publishers to advertise the series]
• “Lalibela: Ethiopian King and Saint, 1181-1221,” in Shelley Wolbrink (ed.) Great Lives From
• History: The Middle Age, Salelm Press, 2004
• “Lalibela (1181-1221) Founds Capital of Ethiopia: Ethiopia as a Christian Culture within Largely
• Islamic North Africa,” in Brian A. Pavlac (ed.), Great Events From History: The Middle Ages and Pre-Renaissance,” Salem Press, 2004
• “Yekuno Amlak Founds the Solomonid Dynasty (1270-1285)” in Brian A. Pavlac (ed.), Great Events From History: The Middle Ages and Pre-Renaissance,” Salem Press, 2004“City-State of Yeha Flourishes in the Ethiopian Highland, 450-100 B.C.E.” in Mark W. Chavalas (ed.), Great Events from History: The Ancient World, Prehistory - 476 C.E., Salem Press, 2004 “The Emergence of the Kingdom of Aksum, 1st Century C.E.” in Mark W. Chavalas (ed.), Great Events from History: The Ancient World, Prehistory - 476 C.E., Salem Press, 2004
• “Ezana Expands Aksum and Converts to Christianity, 4th Century C.E.” in Mark W. Chavalas (ed.), Great Events from History: The Ancient World, Prehistory - 476 C.E., Salem Press, 2004 "When Guerillas Become Government: The Political Tradition in the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front and the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front and Its Connection With the Recent Ethio-Eritrean Conflict," International Third World Studies Journal & Review, vol. 12, 2001. "Menelik II," Magill's Guide to Military History, Salem Press, 2001.
• "The Battle of Adwa," Magill's Guide to Military History, Salem Press, 2001.
• “Napier, Robert Cornwalis,” Magill’s Guide to Military History, Salem Press, 2001.
• “The Battle of Magdala, 1868,” Magill’s Guide to Military History, Salem Press, 2001.
• "The Red Sea Coastline in the Context of Ethiopia's Historical Claim," Tobia [Amharic], vol.8, no. 6, 2001.
• Review of Tekeste Negash, Ethiopia and Eritrea the Federal Experience (Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Uppsala, 1997), Reviewed in Ethiopian Register, September 1999
• "The Outstanding Issues Behind the Current Crisis in Ethio-Eritrean Relations," Ethiopian Register, October 1998.
• "The Travesty in Ethiopia," Ethiopian Register, Vol. IV, 9, 1997
• "Remembering A Glorious But Incomplete Victory: The Factors That Prevented Emperor Menelik From Pressing His Victory Across The Mereb," Ethiopian Register, Vol. IV, 3 , 1997 "Ethiopianism," [Amharic] Ethiopian Register, Vol..IV, 1 (1997).
• "The Genius of Adwa: Menelik II, Consensus Builder and Master Mobilizer," Proceedings of the Adwa Victory Centenary Conference, Michigan State University, 1996.
• "The Challenges of European Imperialism and the Ethiopian Response: Factors that Decided the Outcome of the Battle of Adwa" [Amharic] Ethiopian Register, March 1996.
• "A Gondärine Land Grant in Gojjam: The Case of Qäranyo Mädhané Aläm," Proceedings of the XIth International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, 1993 [with Donald Crummey and DanielAyana].
• "The Unionist Struggle in Eritrea," Ethiopian Review, III, 3 (April 1993).
• "The Lands of the Church of Dabra Sahay Qwesqwam, Gondar," Journal of Ethiopian Studies, December 1993 [with D. Crummey]
• "Ethiopian Irredentism in Eritrea," [Amharic] Dialogue: The Journal of Ethiopian University Teachers Association, 3rd Series, Vol. I, No. 2 (Addis Ababa: Addis Ababa University Press,August 1992).
• Oral Tradition in a Literate Culture: The Case of Christian Ethiopia," Unwritten Testimonies of the African Past, Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warsaw, 1991) [with DonaldCrummey and Daniel Ayana].Land Tenure and the Social Accumulation of Wealth in Eighteenth Century Ethiopia: Evidence from the Qwesqwam Land Register," International Journal of African Studies, XXIV, 2 (1991) [with Donald Crummey].
• "The Genesis of the Differences in the Eritrean Secessionist Movement," Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, Vol.II, 1988.
• "The Economic Basis of Conflict Among the Nuer and Anuak Communities," Proceedings of the Third Annual Seminar of the Department of History, Addis Ababa, 1986.
• "Notes on the Background to the Eritrean Problem,"Proceedings of the Second Annual Seminar of the Department of History, Addis Ababa, Vol. I, 1984.

 Books & Papers Refereed:

• Letters from Abyssinia: 1916 and 1917, Tsehai Publishers, 2004 Ethiopia a Post-Cold War African State, Praeger, 1999
• "Collective Memories and Embodied Events: Eritrean 'Nation-History' " Journal of Imperial and Post-Colonial Historical Studies (JIPCHS)
• "Agricultural Development in Kenya: United States Interests in Coffee Trade in Kenya, 1930-1941" Virginia Social Science Journal

Selected Presentations/Conferences

 Conference Papers:

•  “The Costs of the Status quo in the Ethio-Eritrean Relation,” Conference on Good Governance, Peace, Security and Sustainable Development in the Horn of Africa.” Washington, D.C., April 9-11, 2010.
• “The Background to the Crisis in Darfur,” Genocide Conference, CNU, October 9, 2009 “The History of Party Formation in Ethiopia,” ECAD, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, John Hopkins University, March 29, 2009
• “Talking to Our Enemies,” World Affairs Council, Great Decisions Series, Virginia Beach, Jan. 19, 2008
• “Ethiopia and the Black Diaspora,” Conversations on Great Streets with Don Murray, Humanities Council of Washington, D.C., October 9, 2007
• “The State, Ethno-Nationalism, Regional Politics and Security Issues” Howard University Symposium, Washington, D.C., September 9, 2007
• “Reading Ethiopian history with an eye on the future,” Swedish Symposium on Ethiopia, Stockholm, September 1, 2007
• “Land and Hegemony in Ethiopia,” 49th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association San Francisco, November 18, 2006).
• “The Quest for Relative Autonomy: Ethiopia Courts American Support, 1940-1960,” Conference Commemorating the Centennial of Ethiopian-United States Relation, The African Studies Department & Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center, Howard University, Washington, D.C., March 25, 2004.
• “The Hague Decision and the Way Forward,” International Conference on Human and Trade Union Rights in Ethiopia, Lambeth Town Hall, London, August 10, 2002.
• "A Time for Reflection: Taking Stock of the Costs of the Ethio-Eritrean War and Separation," Etnografiska Museet, Stockholm, Sweden, November 10, 2001
• "When Guerrillas Become Government," Third World Studies Conference, Omaha, Nebraska, 5-7th October 2000
• “Fighting a World War and Shoring up the Empire: British Imperial Activities in Northeast Africa, 1941-1948,” N.E.H. Summer Seminar on the “Decolonization of the British Empire,” University of Texas at Austin, August 15, 2000.
• "The Problems of Succeeding Against All Odds," paper presented at the Second International Conference on Ethio-Eritrean Conflict, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, July 24, 1999Opening the Pandora Box: The Least Publicized Side of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front,"
• paper presented at the conference, Africa in the Twenty-first Century: Challenges and Prospects, Morehouse College, Atlanta, April 7, 1999
• "Perspectives on America, the Post-Cold War World War and its Impact on Africa," Second Annual Conference of the Virginia Council for History Education, March 14, 1998
• "Eritrean Nationalists Interpretation of Ethiopian History," Conference on Current Realities and Future Prospects for Ethiopia, Continental Plaza, Los Angeles, July 4, 1997
• "A Reappraisal of the Political Role of the Ethiopian Urban Youth," 25th Anniversary Conference of the EPRP, Los Angeles, July 1, 1997
• "Ethnic Relations in Africa With a Special Emphasis on Ethiopia: The Historical Perspective," Inglewood Main Public Library Auditorium, Inglewood, California, May 3, 1997
• "Historic Ethiopia and Progressive Movements in the Diaspora," Forum on Africa: An Interdisciplinary International Dialogue, Norfolk State University, October 29, 1996
• "The Genius of Adwa: Menelik II, Consensus Builder and Master Mobilizer," Adwa Victory Centenary Conference, Michigan State University, East Lansing, March 2-3, 1996.
• "Making the Best Out of Difficult Situation: Some Methods of Accumulation of Land in Northern Ethiopia, Eighteenth to the Early Twentieth Century," International Symposium on State, Land, and Society in the History of Sudanic Africa, (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, April 23-24, 1993).
• "From Union to Independence: The Internal Dynamics Leading to the Current Situation in Eritrea," Bringing Peace and Stability to a War-Ravaged Region: The Political and Socio-Economic Challenges in Northeast East Africa, Center for Northeast-African Studies and Development (Georgetown University, April 10-11, 1993)