| The Dialectics of (Dis)Trust: Oromo Diaspora and NetLands explores the formation of Oromo diaspora through a multi-sited historical ethnography situated on the Internet and in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Oromo, a collective of approximately 30 million people originating from the Horn of Africa, and primarily Ethiopia, have withstood over a century of internal colonization, including conquest and systemic violence. As a result, countless numbers of Oromo have relocated outside of their places of birth, constructed new homes, and are now working to revitalize or reconfigure once banned socio-political institutions and practices.; This dissertation contributes not only to diaspora and Internet literatures, but also to social science literature on identity and globalization, through an investigation of the dialectics of (dis)trust. For Oromo in diaspora, building trust is critical to healing and coping with the violence of modernity and globalization processes. I contend the dialectics of (dis)trust are central to diaspora adaptation for Oromo, and that the fault lines of (dis)trust are particularly perilous and apparent on the Internet. This space promises democratization and solace, and yet dialectically fosters discord and distrust. Rather than using the term "virtual homelands", NetLands is the term I have coined to refer to diaspora Internet homelands, and GadaaNet refers to Oromo specific Internet domains.; Based on six years of participant/observation fieldwork on the Internet and a year in Minnesota, this dissertation also examines the historical circumstances that led to the construction of "the shell", a metaphor for the ways Oromo are forced to hide their individual or collective identities due to processes that foster distrust, namely violence and trauma. The shell follows Oromo across continents producing challenges to diaspora organization and individual wellbeing.; In an attempt to capture the complexity of Oromo diaspora life, this dissertation is written in a self-consciously dialectical way, moving constantly between meta and micro narratives, the local and the global, men's and women's lives. Discussion of the Oromo socio-political institutions of gadaa and siiqqee, and Internet usage, also illuminate gendered and generational differences within the Oromo diaspora. |
