IES today celebrated the diamond jubilee ot its flagship academic periodical widely known as the Journal of Ethiopian Studies (JES).

JES took birth in 1963 with the editorial mission of dissemination and promotion of studies on Ethiopia in the humanities, social sciences, and cultural studies. Its founder, the late Professor Richard Pankhurst, edited several volumes and generously  contributed several articles during his long long tenure as a senior scholar at IES, of which he was the first director.

Considered  the oldest academic journal in the history of AAU,  the journal has maintained its reputation as a respected outlet amongst the community of Ethiopian studies scholars both nationally and internationally .

During the diamond jubilee, Ethiopian studies scholars  reflected on the journal’s  rich scholarly  legacy as a pioneering periodical founded and edited for decades by Ethiopian and foreign scholarly stalwarts who have left a lasting mark as exceptionally dedicated academic luminaries whose names continue to be revered by present scholars as much as by their contemporaries.

At the time of introspection marking  sixty years of editorial continuity, IES officers  and academics spoke on the  challenges the journal went through and recovered from as well as its  proud achievements and its creative response to changing times and circumstances.

Director of the IES, Dr Takele  Merid, who paid tribute to its distinguished past editors , said the journal continues to enjoy reputation as an accredited outlet and to attract submissions on a broad spectrum of topics from seasoned and emerging Ethiopian studies scholars.

Hiru Abdu (PhD), a researcher with the IES, for his part noted that the journal has expanded its domain and now welcomes research papers on countries in the Eastern Africa region that have had geographic, political and historical intersections with Ethiopia . His colleague, Dr  Zelalemawi Tefera,  added that the Journal.has had to publish special issues to attract more scholars writing in different languages in what he says is a creative response to the publishing realities of today.