| The purpose of this study is to apply the concepts of nation and national identity to the case of the newly independent state of Eritrea. Following fifty years of Italian colonialism, the Eritrean people fought, at varying levels of intensity and unity, for the right of self determination. Yet time and again, the international community denied Eritrea the right to determine its own fate ostensibly because Eritrea did not constitute a nation. Rather, Eritrea was characterized as a loose confederation of exceedingly diverse groups which should resume their rightful place as part of Ethiopia.;In this paper, I first explore the question of whether Eritrea, a fully independent state since 1993, indeed constitutes a nation. Having examined this long debated question, I turn to a more focal question of this study--how to characterize the Eritrean national identity. Using largely qualitative data but with some quantitative analysis, I describe what I consider to be the national identity of Eritrea.;Following my description of Eritrean national identity, I investigate how the transitional government of Eritrea is working, if at all, to promote national identity. In examining the role of the current government in encouraging an Eritrean identity, I isolate two specific realms--the educational system and the drafting of free Eritrea's first constitution.;Long neglected or abused by colonial interests, the educational system of Eritrea is now completely controlled by the Eritrean people. In my extensive account of education in contemporary Eritrea, I document the ways in which the government is promoting national identity through the educational system particularly in the areas of curriculum and enrollment.;Instead of using another state's constitution as a template or having the president and his advisors create one, the Eritrean government is carrying out a unique public centered exercise to draft its constitution. In detailing both the unique process as well as the substance of the draft, I analyze the ways in which the constitution is designed to promote national identity. |
