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Paper short abstract:

The objective of the paper is to analyze policy priorities of Mursi communities, through the project “Mursi encountering the Other” (MEO). It explores whether thematic emphasis, framing and justification are different from that of regional, national and international actors.

Paper long abstract:

The project “Mursi encountering the Other: Mediating Representation, Research, and Influence,” (MEO) bridges communication between the Mursi, a minority agro pastoralist group in southern Ethiopia, with national and international policy makers. Policy making at various levels is usually a complex, yet surprisingly monotonous practices that embeds processes that are generally be exclusionary to minorities; sometimes creating platforms where the groups are the agenda but they themselves are not present at the table (Schröter, 2013). The project introduces a unique setting where research agenda, methodology and approaches of communicating results are all Mursi led.

The objective of the paper is to analyze proposed research issues developed by the Mursi. An all Mursi panel (representative of different territorial sections) selects the research proposals for funding based on feasibility and contribution towards the objectives of the MEO project in the area of “education or training for children and youth, enterprise development for Mursi women, improving encounters with tourists, and promoting peace with neighboring communities.” This paper analyses proposed research themes, whether selected for funding by the selection panel or not. The research issues documented in this paper are collected during project team meetings with the community, during panel simulations during trainings, and more importantly during panel proposal hearings. It explores whether thematic emphasis, framing and justification are different from that of regional, national and international actors.