In 1991, Eritrea won a 30-year war for independence from Ethiopia, and in 1993, it was recognized as Africa’s newest nation after more than a century of conquest and occupation by a succession of external powers that included the Ottomans, Egypt, Italy, Great Britain and Ethiopia. Each had left its mark, while fostering a deep distrust of outsiders and a fierce commitment to Eritrea’s separate political identity. Eritrea and Ethiopia slipped into a chronic state of no-peace-no-war that kept the entire Horn of Africa off-balance for nearly two decades, the standoff ended in 2018 when a newly installed Ethiopian prime minister reached out to Eritrea and set in motion a rapid-fire series of talks among the states of the African Horn that broke down long-standing barriers and raised hopes for a new era of regional peace and cooperation.



This third edition of Historical Dictionary of Eritrea contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 600 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Eritrea.

In this bookConnell (Boston Univ.) recounts the creation of the modern nation-state of Eritrea. Once a part of Ethiopia, Eritrea was subject to almost a century of conquest, occupation, and colonial rule, before reverting to Ethiopian sovereignty after WW II. What followed was a 30-year war for independence, finally won in 1991, making Eritrea, at the time, Africa's youngest country (until the independence of South Sudan in 2011). To understand this fledgling nation's standing today, Connell’s ready reference tracks its historical developments, from ancient times to the present, through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and more than 500 cross-referenced dictionary entries on significant persons, events, places, and organizations, many of which contributed to Eritrea's modern statehood, as well as on politics, economy, society, and culture. Despite years of turmoil since independence, Connell suggests that recent improvements in the national economy and in the peace process with Ethiopia may portend positive developments in the future. In this exhaustive text, Connell also includes items of historical importance and Eritrean landmarks to assist readers as they seek to study, understand, and better appreciate this country.



Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels.

Dan Connell is a visiting scholar at Boston University’s African Studies Center and a retired senior lecturer in journalism and African politics at Simmons College, Boston. He has also consulted for numerous development agencies and human rights organizations and is the founder and former director of Grassroots International. He is currently working on a book on the experiences of Eritrean refugees.