The presentation will describe insurance associations in the Ethiopian diaspora of the US. It will focus on the ‘solidarity from below’ (Featherstone) that is the bases of their organization and the contribution that these networks make to the future of the Ethiopian diaspora in the US.
Paper long abstract:
Insurance associations are important networks of care and solidarity in Ethiopia. They focus above all on the financing and organization of the burials of their members. Even in the Ethiopian diaspora, in countries with diversified formal insurances, these networks are organized and adapted to local requirements and needs.
The presentation will describe the formation and current development of insurance associations in the Ethiopian diaspora of the US. It will focus on two aspects of these care networks. First, the ‘solidarity from below’ (Featherstone) that is the bases of their organization and second the contribution that these networks make to the future of the Ethiopian diaspora in the US. Especially in the burial place vs. posthumous transnationalism of members of the diaspora, the future orientation of the diaspora becomes apparent.