CFEE Seminar: Becoming mature : the intersection of age and gender in a pastoral society (Mursi, Ethiopia)
Becoming mature :
the intersection of age and gender in a pastoral society (Mursi, Ethiopia)
5th of February 2026 / 2pm-4pm, at the French Center for Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa
by Dr Jean-Baptiste Eczet, Associate professor
School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS), Chair of Political arts
Seminar open to all
Classical anthropology in East Africa has tended to associate pastoralism with a masculine ideology. Among the Mursi people however, women are clearly associated with success in the pastoral economy, if one considers the different ages in the life cycle. The social position of two figures, the Mother-in-law and the Elder, are the culmination of a process of maturing which stresses social organization by age-set, suggests that gender relations may be a fruitful subject of inquiry. These personae allow us to understand why certain older women achieve social positions usually accorded to men, but also why, in the final analysis, these women remain subordinated to the Elder, because of a time lag vis-a-vis their male equivalents of the same age in reaching maturity. The talk will first consider the political order resulting from differences in maturity between warriors and elders. Other types of cross-sex relation, such as those between young girls and warriors will then be described, before locating the place of the Elders and the Mothers-in-law vis-a-vis the group as a whole, and its animal herds.
French Center for Ethiopian Studies’ location:
The French Center for Ethiopian Studies is located in the Jan Meda neighborhood (Arada sub city, Kebele 11/12, house no. 1907), between Menelik Hospital and Sidist Kilo (50m before the entrance of Jan Meda)
OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Secrétaire Scientifique (26 janvier 2026). CFEE Seminar: Becoming mature : the intersection of age and gender in a pastoral society (Mursi, Ethiopia). UN ŒIL SUR LA CORNE / AN EYE ON THE HORN. Consulté le 15 février 2026 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/15k38




