African Motors: Technology, Gender, and the History of Development

Abstract

snowball sampling is unlikely to be representative (10). The study addresses the issue of the ENS based on the perceptions of former conscripts who have fled Eritrea to Kenya, South Africa and four European countries, to “examine the extent to which some of the goals of the ENS are achieved or are in the process of being achieved” (3). Chapter 2 presents the theories and concepts of national service and experiences across Africa. Chapter 3 provides an insight into the structure of the Eritrean Defence Forces. Although it was difficult to reach participants for the study, interviewing those originating from rural areas of Eritrea and those living in Sudan and Ethiopia would have enriched the book. The respondents interviewed were lucky to have made it to a safe destination and to be able to support their families remaining in Eritrea. Many have perished crossing the Mediterranean Sea or the Sahara Desert, and many others became victims of abuse, torture and rape at the hands of traffickers. Kibreab takes the reader through the general theories and philosophical concepts of two schools of thought: those who see national service as “The highest good and fountain of virtue, war solidarity, and social capital” and those who see it as the “antithesis of a free society” (22, 23). Many ideas and theories are repeated in different parts of the book, and there is also repetition of the various references quoted and the respondents’ narratives. This could have been abridged without losing the primary purpose. Additionally, the author misses the point that the birth of Eritrea was not ordinary: it went through two devastating civil wars during its liberation. Despite these shortcomings, The Eritrean National Service is important reading. It offers 324 references – including other sources by Kibreab, who has written extensively on the subject – that researchers can use to study the issue further. It also gives an essential insight into the ENS from its inception to its drastic consequences, and why participants risk their lives to escape its servitude. Perhaps a more appropriate title would have been The Eritrean National Service: For the “Common Good” or for the “Good” of Eritrea’s Dictator?