Dr. Boris Adjemian’s book on “Armenians in Ethiopia” published

LONDON/NEW YORK—IBTauris, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, has announced the publication of Dr. Boris Adjemian’s book, The Brass Band of the King: Armenians in Ethiopia. The book is part of the series Armenians in the Modern and Early Modern World, edited by Professor Bedross Der Matossian.

In 1924, the Crown Prince and later Emperor of Ethiopia, Ras Täfäri, during a visit to Jerusalem, called on forty Armenian orphans who had survived the genocide of 1915-1916 to form the royal brass band of his empire. The conductor, who was also Armenian, composed the first official anthem of the Ethiopian state.

Drawing on this emblematic event and the history of the small Armenian community in Ethiopia, Boris Adjemian’s book shows how they operated on the fringes of political society, hiding in its interstices, preferring intimacy and discreet loyalty to the glamour of open politics. The Armenians’ astonishing role in their host country was embodied by the friendship shown to them by the kings and queens of Ethiopia, a theme that resonates in the life stories collected by their descendants.

Drawing on the collective memory of Armenian immigration and the centuries-long history of proximity between the Armenian and Ethiopian churches, this study illuminates the political and cultural significance of a community that has long been ignored and has almost disappeared. The author argues for a settled approach to the diaspora, a sociohistory of this collective rootedness that stretches back to the 19th century and builds on historical accounts of otherness from the early modern to the colonial period. By centering stateless immigrants halfway between the domestic and the foreign, this history reveals the agency of stateless immigrants and their descendants, their ability to play with identities and subvert assigned belongings.

The Brass Band of the King is an original exploration of the social formation of nation and otherness in Africa and elsewhere.

“I am delighted that my book on the history of Armenians in Ethiopia, published in France in 2013 after fieldwork begun in 1997, has now been published in English. Thanks to MG Goshgarian’s excellent translation, this text is experiencing a second life and will finally be accessible to many readers in Ethiopia, North America and elsewhere, including many Ethiopian-Armenian families,” said Adjemian.

“The story of this small community in Ethiopia is by far the most original I have read in the Armenian diaspora and diaspora literature. I hope that readers, like me, will be swept away by the epic dimension of this story, which is full of characters and anecdotes that are both unlikely and entertaining and say a lot about the formation of collective identities and the way the histories of peoples and nation-states are written,” added Adjemian.

“This is a fascinating study of a unique diaspora community that emerged from orphans of the Armenian Genocide in Jerusalem,” said Der Matossian, the series editor. “By using theories of collective memory and diaspora studies with in-depth historical research, Adjemian has succeeded in weaving together the complex history of the Armenian community in Ethiopia. This book is an important contribution to our understanding of the emergence of Armenian diaspora communities in the post-genocide period. The book will have a significant impact on Armenian diaspora studies and other diaspora communities around the world,” he concluded.

“This great work is now available in an excellent English translation. Boris Adjemian’s compelling and comprehensive book on Ethiopian-Armenians offers a captivating exploration of the formation and development of diasporic communities, accompanied by a rich theoretical debate. It is a work characterized by both depth and innovation,” said Vahé Tachjian, editor-in-chief of Houshamadyan.

“I knew Edward Said well for decades… I can say without hesitation that he would have particularly praised the discussion of Orientalism in Boris’ book,” said Professor Khachig Tölölyan.

Boris Adjemian is the director of the AGBU Nubar Library in France. He holds a PhD in history from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, France, and the Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale”, Italy. He is co-editor of the academic journal Études arméniennes contemporaines.

Copies of The Brass Band of the King: Armenians in Ethiopia are available to purchase from the Bloomsbury Press website. Use code GLR AT8 at checkout for 35% off.