Anthropology

Unit Four

Marginalized, Minorities, and

DRM in Ethiopia:
Anthropology Chapter Four
 4.1 Definition of Concepts
 Marginalization is defined as a treatment of a person or
social group as minor, insignificant or peripheral. (Treating
indifferently)
 It involves exclusion of certain groups or a person from
social interactions, marriage relations, sharing food and
drinks, and working and living together.
Who are mostly marginalized?
I. Women, children, older people, and people with
disabilities
II. Religious, ethnic, and racial minorities
III. Crafts workers such as tanners, potters, and ironsmiths

DRM in Ethiopia:
Anthropology Chapter Four
 Definition Cont…
What is vulnerability?
 Vulnerability refers to the state of being exposed to
physical or emotional injuries
 Vulnerable persons/groups need special attention,
protection and support,
 for example, children and people with disabilities need
special support and protection
 Minority group’ refers to a small group of people within a
community, region, or country.
 In most cases, minority groups are different from the
majority population in terms of race, religion, ethnicity,
and language.
DRM in Ethiopia:
Anthropology Chapter Four
 Defn, cont’d
• Vulnerable groups are people exposed to possibilities of
attack, harms or mistreatment.
• The impacts of physical attacks and harms are lead to long-
term problems including emotional disorder (e.g.,
psychological trauma) and social or relational problems.
• For e.g., girls and women are vulnerable to gender-based
violence such as harassment, rape, and forced marriage,
child marriage.
• Child marriage would lead to adolescent or teenage pregnancy.
• Teenage pregnancy in turn leads to a severe reproductive
health problems such as fistula.
• In addition to physical damage and psychological disorder,
women with fistula suffer from isolation from social interactions.

DRM in Ethiopia:
 4.2 Gender-based Marginalization
 Gender Inequality involves discrimination on a group of
people based on their gender.
 Gender-based marginalization is a global problem that
mainly arises from socio-cultural norms.
 For example,
 being excluded from formal education,
 not enjoying equal employment opportunities,
 do not have equal rights in terms of property
ownership and inheritance,
 vulnerable to gender-based violence such as rape,
early/child marriage, abduction/forced marriage,
domestic violence and female genital
cutting/mutilation.
DRM in Ethiopia:
Anthropology Chapter Four
 Female Genital Cutting
Female Genital Cutting (FGC) refers to all
procedures involving partial or total removal of the
external genitals for cultural or other non-medical
purposes.
 In the world more than 200 million women and girls alive
today have undergone FGM/C.
 More than 3 million girls are at risk of FGM/C every year
 It is practiced in 28 countries in western, northern and eastern
Africa.
 It was 98% in Somalia, 93% in Djibouti, 87% in Egypt and Sudan, and
83% in Eritrea, have high prevalence.
 Nigeria (25%), Senegal (24%), and Kenya (21%) have a relatively low
prevalence of FGM/C (UNFPA & UNICEF, 2017).
DRM in
Anthropology Ethiopia:
course: Chapter Four
 4.3 Marginalized Occupational Groups
 Marginalized occupational groups in our country are:
tanners, potters, weavers, iron smiths etc.
 They are considered as impure and excluded from social
interactions, ownership of economic resources (e.g.,
land), and participation in associations and celebrations.
 Craft-workers in Ethiopia produce several articles such as
traditional hand-woven clothes, household utensils, and
farm tools
 Weavers produce cultural clothes highly demanded by
thousands and millions of people.

DRM incourse:
Anthropology Ethiopia:
Chapter Four
 Marginalized Occ..nal groups Cont…
 Ironsmiths make and repair iron articles such as plough
shares, sickles, and hoes.
 Tanners make leather products that serve community
members.
 Potters produce pottery articles essential for food
processing and serving and fetching water.
 Despite their contributions, these craft-workers are
considered inferior and marginalized from wide areas of
social interactions.

DRM incourse:
Anthropology Ethiopia:
Chapter Four
 4.4 Age-based vulnerability
 Age-based vulnerability is susceptibility of people,
especially children and older people, to different forms
of attack, physical injuries and emotional harms.
 For example, children and older people (people aged
60 and above) are exposed to possibilities of attack,
harm and mistreatment because of their age.

DRM incourse:
Anthropology Ethiopia:
Chapter Four
 4.4.1 Children: Discrimination/vulnerability
 Children are among vulnerable groups exposed to
harm because of their age.
 Girls are exposed to double marginalization and
discrimination because of the gender.
 Girls are exposed to HTPs such as female genital
cutting.
 Early/child Marriage: Early marriage refers to
marriage which involves girls below the age of 18.

DRM incourse:
Anthropology Ethiopia:
Chapter Four
 4.4.2 Marginalization of older persons
 The phrase ‘older people’ refers to adults with the age of
60 and above.
 Older men and women have been respected across
Ethiopian cultures because they are:
– custodians of tradition, culture, and history.
– mentoring younger people, resolving disputes, and
restoring peace across Ethiopian cultures.
 Care and support for older people tend to decline as
younger people migrate to urban areas and exposed to
economic pressure and new life styles.

DRM incourse:
Anthropology Ethiopia:
Chapter Four
 Marginalization of older … Cont…
Ageism refers to stereotyping, prejudice, and
discrimination against people based on their age.
Older people are facing various problems as a
result of modernization, globalization, and
urbanization.
Older persons are marginalized because they are
considered as social burden rather than social
assets.

DRM incourse:
Anthropology Ethiopia:
Chapter Four
 4.6. Human right approaches and inclusiveness:
Anthropological perspectives
 The human rights conventions denounce discrimination
against women, children, people with disability, older
people and other minority and vulnerable groups.
 People with disabilities have the right to inclusive
services and equal opportunities.
 The human rights of women and girls include right to be
free from harmful traditional practices such as forced
marriage, early marriage, and female genital cutting.

DRM in Ethiopia:
Anthropology Chapter Four
 Human right approaches Cont…

• For example, anthropologists do not

DRM incourse:
Anthropology Ethiopia:
Chapter Four