Frame analysis of the politics of identity and conflict at territorial frontiers: the case of Jarso-Girhi in Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

This paper examines the public framing of the politics of identity and conflict in Chinaksen and Tulli-Guled districts where the Jarso and the Girhi have lived together as sedentary farmers. These are the districts wherein the two groups now experience socio-political and resource-based conflicts with identity underpinnings. The paper is based on qualitative data generated through intensive one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions. For analytical leverage, the paper draws on various mutually reinforcing sociological and social-psychological theories. The paper attempts to address the place of social framing in the conflict environment and the implication of frame-based positional and cognitive orientations on intergroup relations and interactions. The central argument of the paper is that in a context where identity groups are embroiled in competitive discourses, conflict framing serves as a vehicle through which members communicate their constrained and contested...