Sehin Teferra is an

Ethiopian Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

activist who promotes the idea of Ethiopian identity and sees herself as pan-Ethiopianist.

Childhood and education

Sehin Teferra was born in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

. She attended primary school at Nazareth School and high school at Sanford English Community School. She obtained a sociology undergraduate degree at the University of La Verne campus in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, a master's degree in international development with a focus on

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research universities in the ...

, and obtained her PhD at

SOAS University of London SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury are ...

in 2015.

Feminist activism

Sehin co-founded a feminist group ''Setaweet'' and a corresponding firm ''Setaweet Plc'', in a "hybrid social enterprise model". During October 2011-July 2102, Sehin carried out research into the situation of sex workers in

, carrying out "90 interviews, seven focus group discussions with sex worker women and their male partners, as well as two groups of male university students". She found that the sex workers did not see themselves as victims, and that they were "intelligent, humorous and often honest about the opportunities and challenges of being a sex worker". Sehin summarised by stating that the "views and experiences of the women

ho were Ho (or the transliterations He or Heo) may refer to: People Language and ethnicity * Ho people, an ethnic group of India ** Ho language, a tribal language in India * Hani people, or Ho people, an ethnic group in China, Laos and Vietnam * Hiri Mo ...

interviewed paint a complex picture where many women come into their own, negotiating with their sexuality an income while withstanding the 'occupational hazard' of rampant violence." In February 2021, Sehin stated that ''Setaweet'' had recorded testimonies from victims of

sexual violence in the Tigray War Sexual violence in the Tigray War included, according to the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, people forced to rape family members, "sex in exchange for basic commodities", and "increases in ...

. The victims attributed rapes to the Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF). Sehin stated that Setaweet's documentation showed that rape was "happening on a large scale" and that "parents in Tigray ereshaving their daughters' heads and dressing them 'as boys' to protect them from rape".

Points of view

Ethnic identity

Sehin disagrees with

Awol Allo Awol Kasim Allo is an Ethiopian academician, author and lecturer who started teaching law at University of Keele in 2016. Early life and education Awol Kasim Allo was born in the village of Wate-Chimmo near Gassera in the former Bale Province in ...

's views on ethnic identity in Ethiopia, arguing that Awol incorrectly rejects the existence of an Ethiopian identity by misrepresenting it. She described Awol as a bigot for denying the right of Ethiopians to see themselves as having an Ethiopian identity. Sehin identifies herself as pan-Ethiopianist.

Violence

According to Martha Kuwee Kumsa, Sehin "categorical yassociat s the Qeerroo with violence, which Martha criticises as hiding the diversity among Qeerroos. Also according to Martha, Sehin criticised Awol Allo for criticising violence against Oromos but not violence by Oromos. Sehin described Awol as having "fanned the flames of ethnic bigotry" in relation to the June 2020

Hachalu Hundessa riots The Hachalu Hundessa riots were a series of civil unrest that occurred in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, more specifically in the hot spot of Addis Ababa, Shashamene and Ambo following the killing of the Oromo musician Hachalu Hundessa on 29 ...

that followed the murder of Oromo singer

Hachalu Hundessa Hachalu Hundessa ( om, Haacaaluu Hundeessaa Boonsaa; am, ሃጫሉ ሁንዴሳ; 1986 – 29 June 2020) was an Ethiopian singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Hachalu played a significant role in the 2014–2016 Oromo protests that l ...

. She interpreted Awol's use of the word "they" in relation to the protests as an ethnic "us-vs-them" attitude. Sehin interpreted Awol's criticism of arrests made in relation to the protests as supporting the violence and of ignoring the evidence of the possible involvement of the

Oromo Liberation Front The Oromo Liberation Front ( om, Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo, abbreviated: ABO; English abbreviation: OLF) is an Oromo nationalist political party formed in 1973 to promote self-determination for the Oromo people inhabiting today's Oromia Region and ...

in the murder. She accused Awol of being "silen against the atrocities committed by his own side."

Criticism

Martha criticised Sehin for Sehin's criticism of Awol, in which Sehin described Awol's view of Ethiopian identity as a "bogeyman of Ethiopianness".

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , title= Sehin Teferra (PhD) , date= 2018-02-28 , website= Association of Women in Business , url= https://www.awib.org.et/currency/spotlight/item/1168-sehin-teferra-phd.html , access-date=2020-12-19 , archive-url= https://archive.today/20201219003848/https://www.awib.org.et/currency/spotlight/item/1168-sehin-teferra-phd.html , archive-date= 2020-12-19 , url-status=live {{cite news , last1=Kumsa , first1=Martha Kuwee , title=Our diverse feminists must team up to disavow epistemological violence , date=2020-12-16 , newspaper=

Ethiopia Insight Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the no ...

, url=https://www.ethiopia-insight.com/2020/12/16/our-diverse-feminists-must-team-up-to-disavow-epistemological-violence/ , access-date=2020-12-19 , archive-url=https://archive.today/20201219012019/https://www.ethiopia-insight.com/2020/12/16/our-diverse-feminists-must-team-up-to-disavow-epistemological-violence/ , archive-date= 2020-12-19 , url-status=live {{cite web , last1 =Teferra , first1 =Sehin , title=The 'epistemological violence' of Awol Allo , website=

, date =2020-09-25 , url =https://www.ethiopia-insight.com/2020/09/25/the-epistemological-violence-of-awol-allo/ , access-date = 2020-12-19 , archive-url=https://archive.today/20201219013527/https://www.ethiopia-insight.com/2020/09/25/the-epistemological-violence-of-awol-allo/ , archive-date= 2020-12-19 , url-status=live {{cite web , last1 =Teferra , first1 =Sehin , title=Agency within Ethiopian sex work: withstanding violence , website= Open Democracy , date =2012-08-21 , url =https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/agency-within-ethiopian-sex-work-withstanding-violence/ , access-date = 2020-12-19 , archive-url=https://archive.today/20201219015624/https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/agency-within-ethiopian-sex-work-withstanding-violence/ , archive-date= 2020-12-19 , url-status=live {{cite news , title=News: Ethiopian women participation in politics up but a lot needs to be done , date=2019-12-19 , newspaper= Addis Standard , url=https://addisstandard.com/news-ethiopian-women-participation-in-politics-up-but-a-lot-needs-to-be-done/ , access-date=2020-12-19 , archive-url=https://archive.today/20201219020421/https://addisstandard.com/news-ethiopian-women-participation-in-politics-up-but-a-lot-needs-to-be-done/ , archive-date= 2020-12-19 , url-status=live {{cite news , title= Ethiopia confirms reports of rape in Tigray war , date= 2020-02-12 , agency = AFP , newspaper= The Guardian (Nigeria) , url= https://guardian.ng/news/world/ethiopia-confirms-reports-of-rape-in-tigray-war/ , access-date=2021-02-13 , archive-url= https://archive.today/20210213135944/https://guardian.ng/news/world/ethiopia-confirms-reports-of-rape-in-tigray-war/ , archive-date= 2021-02-13 , url-status=live {{void, template {{cite news , last1= , first1= , last2= , first2= , pages= , language = , title= , trans-title = , date= , publisher= , newspaper= , url= , accessdate=20... , archiveurl= , archivedate= 20... , url-status=live , url-access = {{cite web , last1 = , first1 = , last2= , first2= , author-link = , coauthors = , language = , title= , trans-title = , work = , publisher = , website= , date = , url = , format = , doi = , accessdate = 20... , archiveurl= , archivedate= 20... , url-status=live , url-access = Living people Ethiopian women's rights activists Ethiopian scholars Ethiopian women academics Year of birth missing (living people)