Journal of Social Development in Africa (1997), 12,2,99-103 
Book Reviews 
The Eritrean Struggle for Independence: Domination, Resistance, Nationalism 
1941-1993, Ruth Iyob, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1995) JSBN: 
0-521-47327-6, 198pp inc index, Price: £30, US$49,95 (h/b). 
Ruth Iyob'saccount of the 1941 to 1993 struggle forindependenceinEritreacharts 
a new path of analysis in our assessment of the country's nationalist movements, 
programmes and capabilities of the parties contending for power. This is a very 
important intervention in the academic discourse of Eritrea which has generally 
been dominated by two perspectives. 
The first one posited that the Eritrean conflict was a secessionist insurgency or 
sectarian nationalism directed against the historic unity of greater Ethiopia. The 
most prominent scholarly representation of this approach is seen in Donald N 
Levines's work, "Greater Ethiopia" which basically noted the existence of an 
organic unity of the peoples of Ethiopia by ascribing to modern Ethiopia, "...the 
image of a vast ecological area and historical arena in which kindred peoples have 
shared many traditions and interacted with one another for millennia." Ruth Iyob 
argues that the use of selective facts - ethnic, linguistic, and historical affinities - 
blended with the legendary exotica to produce the doctrine of "Greater Ethiopia," 
obscured as much as it revealed. This thesis influenced many scholars to acknowledge 
grievances of Eritreans, but left no room for redressing or significant 
reconfiguration of the status quo. 
The second body of thought examined the structure and function of the 
Ethiopian state and its exercise of colonial domination over occupied territories. 
This school identified the Eritrean resistance to Ethiopian rule as essentially an 
anti-colonial movement The late A Babu suggested that the conflict was deliberately 
portrayed as a war of secession in order to camouflage Ethiopia's expansionist 
policies and the justification of those policies within the OAU. Scholars like 
Edmond Keller, Lionel Cliffe and Roy Pateman shared the same opinions. 
Ruth Iyob's work identifies a third body of scholarship that focused on the 
development of nationalism, the revolutionary achievements and transformation 
of Eritrean society, and most importantly, the nature and dynamics of the postcolonial 
African regional order. Its most prominent scholars - Richard Leonard, 
John Markakis, Nzongola Ntalaja and Michael Chege - exposed the elements of 
conflict which epitomised the rise of the dissident nationalism in contemporary 
African society as a revolution: thus portraying the Eritrean Peoples's Liberation 
Front (EPLF) as a guerrilla organisation and its emergence as an effective popular 
liberation movement.
100 Book Reviews 
Ruth Iyob adds her voice to these scholars by effectively analysing the process 
which gave rise to Ethiopia's traditional position of prominence in the Horn, 
especially, the role of major international actors who helped the state to develop a 
well-trained army, an impressive arsenal, and crucial diplomatic leverage in the 
international community. In this regard, Ruth Iyob's work gives us major insights 
into the issue of regional hegemony, notably, the fact that it is a logical outgrowth 
of the consolidation and codification of regional and international norms and 
values. This is a very important point to note as it demonstrates how the formation 
of the United Nations and later the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), 
formalised a consensus around overriding principles of non-aggression, sovereignty, 
and security of nation-states, and the right of peoples to choose their 
destiny. 
Ruth Iyob's work outlines different phases of struggle and notes that organised 
Eritrean response to Ethiopian hegemony began in the late 1950s. The main task 
of the nationalists involved reconciling political parties in the 1940s and late 1950s, 
constructing a national identity and finally, mobilising the nationalist forces 
against Ethiopian hegemony. The politics of protest permeated a wide constituency 
and popularised the nationalist struggle through a creative mobilisation of 
social and economic grievances against Ethiopian violations of federal guarantees. 
The struggle for Eritrean independence has been characterised differently and 
it is important to note that Ruth Lyob's account will not satisfy everybody as it is 
commonly agreed that no scholarship is value free. For our review, Lyob's account 
appears relatively balanced especially when we consider the questions that she set 
out to answer. What really happened to cause a people to fight so tenaciously for 
three decades? Why did it take the Eritreans so long to realise their dream of a 
nation of their own? 
Efforts to answer these questions makes this account bring out vividly the ugly 
and harsh realities of state rivalry, greed and the corruption power. For those who 
are not acquainted with the conflict and how it was resolved, it is very instructive 
to initiate one into this discourse by focusing on the Eritrean David against the 
Ethiopian Goliath. However, as noted by Iyob, in this modern version of the classic 
confrontation between a small territory and its giant neighbour, it appeared, until 
the very end, that God favoured Goliath and not David. 
The book is compulsory reading for all people who are engaged in the activities 
of Africa, notably, the multiple challenges of economic, social, and political 
reconstruction. To the Eritreans themselves, the challenge the concluding remarks 
in the book posit are encompassed in the question: how can pluralism be 
maintained? This is a very important question because Africa has very few if any, 
successful pluralist polities which maintain self-conscious social groups in tolerant 
accommodation to each other. 
Reviewed by Thomas Deve, Assistant Editor, Sapes Trust, Harare, Zimbabwe.