The Eritrean National Service : servitude for 'the common good' & the youth exodus / Gaim Kibreab.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kibreab, Gaim, author.

Series:

Eastern African studies (London, England)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

National service--Eritrea.

National service.

Draft--Eritrea.

Draft.

Youth--Eritrea--Social conditions--21st century.

Youth.

Social aspects.

Social conditions.

Politics and government.

History.

Eritrea--Politics and government--1962-1993--History.

Eritrea.

Eritrea--Social conditions--21st century.

Eritrea--Recruiting, enlistment, etc--Social aspects.

Physical Description:

xiv, 215 pages : map ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Woodbridge, Suffolk : James Currey, 2017.

Summary:

"The Eritrean National Service (ENS) lies at the core of the post-independence state, not only supplying its military, but affecting every aspect of the country's economy, its social services, its public sector and its politics. Over half the workforce are forcibly enrolled into it by the government, driving the country's youth to escape national service by seeking employment and asylum elsewhere. Yet how did the ENS, which began during the 1961-91 liberation struggle as part of the idea of the 'common good' - in which individual interests were sacrificed in pursuit of the grand scheme of independence and the country's development - degenerate into forced labour and a modern form of slavery? And why, when Eritrea no longer faces existential threat, does the government continue to demand such service from its citizens?"--Back cover.

ISBN:

1847011608

9781847011602

OCLC:

960835852