This article focuses on the cultural situation and politics in modern education among the Banna in southern Ethiopia. Modern education has been refused by the Banna since the socialist government introduced it through the peripheral area. Thus, the enrollment rate of local children (7-12 years old) in southern Ethiopia is below 1%. I consider this situation is based on the politico-cultural background in the area while it has been recognized as a dilemma of the educational system itself in a developmental discourse.
In Chapter 1, I present a framework of educational anthropology to recognize Banna students as "marginal man" who are positioned between two cultural spheres. Because most Banna students enter the educational system after they have received Banna culture, education and life experience in towns, schools, and hostels, force them to be disciplined to another culture.
After a brief introduction of the history of Ethiopian modern education, I would like to analyze in Chapter 3 a case of conflict for girl's education, which has been discussed between government/police and donzas (Banna adult men), in order to examine the complex background of culture and politics in the educational issue. The background is described as a confrontation between the relativistic attitude of the Banna that depend on cultural particularity and the universalistic attitude of the government.
In Chapter 4, following the analysis of a previous case study, I define Banna students as "refugees" in the sense that they try to erase their past life and to restart their careers through engagement in education. The reason this is possible is that the students successfully secede from the validity of Banna culture and its duties. It is observed most students who attend school for several years become assimilated into Amhara culture through the experience of using Amharic in schools and hostels, learning discipline for life in towns, conversion to Christianity, and the curriculum prepared by the Ministry of Education; this process of assimilation could be called "Amharization".
After the political change from socialist regime to EPRDF government, Ethiopia proclaimed the new constitution and new educational policy, in which political decentralization was declared. The government more positively to promote the enrollment of local children, however, the situation concerning the cultural confrontation has not been solved yet. The ultimate questions-Is the present type of education required? If so, to whom, by whom, and for what purpose is modern education carried out in the periphery?-remain.