Palimpsestic Tales: Hidden “Histories” of Resistance, Militarization, and Disenfranchisement of the Women of Eritrea

The “history” of the women of Eritrea is a composite of images and narratives that presents them as symbols of the land viewed through the lenses of colonial writers, anticolonial activists, and postcolonial nationalists. These portrayals have tended to deflect a deeper understanding of their lived histories, distorting their actual experiences under colonial rule (1890-1941), during the decolonization period (1941-51), and the era of Ethiopian rule (1952-91). In both the colonial and postcolonial periods, the images constructed by ruling elites mask the harsh realities of women's unmet aspirations of democratic citizenship, justice, and equality under the law, a tendency that has continued since the country's independence in 1993 through the palimpsestic gendered narratives of elites in the nation and diaspora. This article challenges these iconic remembrances to reconstruct the lived historical experiences of the multiethnic, multireligious, and multifaceted women of Eritrea.