Women and Weshu: change and continuity in gendered power relations in the contemporary Kambaata community of Central Ethiopia

Abstract

This dissertation explores the dynamics of gender-based power relations in the contemporary Kambaata community of Central Ethiopia, focusing on both change and continuity across social, cultural, economic, and political spheres. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, qualitative interviews, and archival research, this study examines how gendered power relations have evolved in response to modern influences such as education, religion, state policies, and globalization. It critically analyzes how women negotiate power while patriarchal structures have been maintained, challenged, or renegotiated, particularly in the domains of marriage, household decision-making, inheritance, and community leadership. The research reveals that while certain aspects of traditional gender hierarchies persist—often reinforced through cultural narratives and customary practices—there are significant exertion power by women’s through weshu plant processing and management. However, these changes are neither uniform nor linear; rather, they are characterized complex practices that reflect the community’s negotiation with modernity and tradition. By situating Kambaata gender dynamics within broader theoretical frameworks of power, agency, and social transformation, this thesis contributes to anthropological and gender studies literature on African societies. It challenges universalist gendered power relations and underscores the importance of localized, context-sensitive understandings of change and continuity in gendered power relations.