Oromo Studies Association Mourns Professor Asmerom Legesse, Scholar Who Defined Indigenous African Democracy

(Washington, D.C.) – February 4, 2026 – The Oromo Studies Association (OSA) today announced the passing of Professor Asmerom Legesse, a preeminent anthropologist whose groundbreaking work fundamentally reshaped the global understanding of African democracy and brought the Oromo Gadaa system to international prominence. Professor Legesse, a fearless intellectual and pioneering scholar, passed away on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at the age of 94.

In an official statement, Dr. Ibrahim Amae Elemo, President of the OSA, hailed Professor Legesse as the scholar who “profoundly altered global understanding of African social and political thought.” His work, the statement said, was instrumental in moving Oromo studies beyond colonial-era misrepresentations to establish a “rigorous, respectful, and sophisticated academic framework.”

Professor Legesse’s 1973 foundational text, Gada: Three Approaches to the Study of African Society, was cited as the authoritative examination that redefined the field. He revolutionized academic perception by framing the Gadaa system not as a simple “age-grade system,” but as a complex “generation-class democracy” complete with its own constitution, balanced governance, cyclical power transfer, and mechanisms for social equity.

“His work revealed that the Gada system boasts its own constitution, balanced governance, and a cyclical transfer of political authority,” the OSA statement read, noting its significance in “global discussions about governance and democracy.” His later works, including the seminal Oromo Democracy: An Indigenous African Political System, further championed Gadaa as a sophisticated political model relevant to modern issues of environmental protection, conflict resolution, and peace-building.

The Association emphasized that Professor Legesse’s research, based on extensive fieldwork with the Borana Oromo, provided a powerful counter-narrative to colonial and derogatory scholarship. He systematically debunked the misconception that African societies lacked complex political thought, refuting labels of ‘tribal’ or ‘primitive’ and instead framing institutions like Gadaa as “unique sophisticated socio-political achievements comparable to classical republics.”

His scholarship was cited as being directly instrumental in providing the academic foundation for UNESCO’s 2016 inscription of the Gadaa System as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

An active member of the Oromo Studies Association since the 1980s, Professor Legesse was honored with the OSA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. He delivered keynote addresses at its conferences in Washington, D.C. in 2017 and in Finfinne, Oromia, in 2019.

“Professor Asmarom Legesse, an intellectual giant, has passed away, but his remarkable work will continue to enrich the world of knowledge,” the statement concluded, extending heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.

About the Oromo Studies Association (OSA):
The Oromo Studies Association is a scholarly organization dedicated to the advancement of research, education, and understanding of Oromo history, culture, and society. It serves as a premier forum for academics, researchers, and professionals engaged in Oromo studies worldwide.