I study urban youth in Ethiopia and I am particularly interested in capitalism, the experience of time and space, economic development, modernity, and popular culture and consumption. I am currently working on two projects. The first is a book titled Hope is Cut: Youth, Unemployment, and The Future in Urban Ethiopia. The book examines how young men in Jimma, Ethiopia negotiate the gap between their aspirations for the future and economic realities. The second is a collaborative research project titled "Poverty, Social Change, and Shifting Expectations: The Makings of Mental Health Disorders among Ethiopian Adolescents." The study examines the relationship between youth aspirations and mental health, especially depression and anxiety. At Colby I will be teaching courses related to globalization and Africa, international development, and global youth cultures.
Thomas Philip Abowd, Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology