Curtin researcher bound for Ethiopia with prestigious humanities fellowship
A Āé¶¹Ö±²„ human rights lecturer and author will travel to Ethiopia for research after receiving a Humanities Travelling Fellowship from the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
Dr Yirga Woldeyes, from the Centre for Human Rights Education within Curtinās School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry, was awarded theĀ fellowship, which enables early career researchers to undertake research overseas, including accessing rare archives and other research materials and connecting with international researchers and networks.
Āé¶¹Ö±²„ Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry congratulated Dr Woldeyes, who will use the Fellowship to pursue his research project titled āThe Politics of Saving Endangered Knowledges in Africa: A case from Ethiopiaā.
āDr Woldeyes has been awarded the fellowship in recognition of his past achievements in the field of humanities, in particular his research and writings about African experiences and Ethiopian traditions,ā Professor Terry said.
āThe Humanities Travelling Fellowships are reserved for outstanding early career researchers to further their development and expand their horizons, so I am delighted Dr Woldeyes has been granted this incredible opportunity.ā
Dr Woldeyes said he was excited to receive the fellowship and looking forward to continuing his research into important cultural and human rights issues.
āSo far, my research has focused on decolonising knowledges, reimagining the idea of belonging, and teaching human rights from the perspective of diverse backgrounds, while addressing social and epistemic injustices in Africa,ā Dr Woldeyes said.
āWith this fellowship, I will be investigating areas such as the practice of āsavingā African intellectual assets based on the premise that they are endangered resources of humankind.ā
Dr Woldeyesā book Native Colonialism: Education and the Economy of Violence against Traditions in Ethiopia was published in 2017 and contributed to the theory of āNative Colonialismā, a process whereby a country colonises itself with foreign or imitated ideas and institutions.
Dr Woldeyes won the 2017 Āé¶¹Ö±²„ Faculty of Humanities Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Award and the 2017 Āé¶¹Ö±²„ Humanities Research Award for Minor Creative Work of the Year.



