The seminar examined how iddir, Ethiopia’s traditional mutual assistance organizations, might be researched and expanded as a basis for alternative policy routes, civic involvement and institution-building. Grounded in archival and ethnographic research, the talks emphasized how indigenous social practices and daily urban life function as dynamic sources of theory-making, especially from the perspective of the Global South, by grounding research in local experiences. The seminar concluded with a gallery walk showcasing artworks reflecting iddir’s material culture.

The presentation session featured talks delivered by Desalegn Amsalu, Anteneh Tesfaye, Yasmin Bushra and Helen Zeru. Dr Desalegn Amsalu is an Associate Professor of Social Anthropology at Addis Ababa University’s Institute for Ethiopian Studies. Dr Anteneh Tesfaye is an architect who is currently a Delft Global Initiative Fellow at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Yasmin Bushra is an architect and spatial justice researcher whose comparative study focuses on self-governance groups in Addis Ababa and Nairobi. Her work investigates how informal community organizations, such as iddir in Ethiopia and Residents’ Associations in Kenya, reshape the urban environment through grassroots engagement with state institutions. Helen Zeru is a multidisciplinary artist whose work interrogates the intersections of informality, memory and collective space in urban Ethiopia.