About ICES

The International Conference of Ethiopian Studies (ICES) is a triennial academic gathering that brings together scholars from around the world to present and discuss research related to Ethiopia and the surrounding region. The conference covers a wide array of disciplines, including history, linguistics, anthropology, archaeology, and social sciences, reflecting the diverse aspects of Ethiopian studies.

The history of the International Conference of Ethiopian Studies (ICES) indicates that the 1st ICES was held in Rome (Italy) in 1959. Ethiopia organized it for the first time when the 3rd ICES were held in Addis Ababa in 1966. From the past 21 conferences of the ICES, eight of them were held in Ethiopia (the 3rd, 8th , 11th , 14th , 17th , 18th , 20th , and 21st ), while the rest were organized by ​Italy, England, USA, France, Israel, Sweden, the USSR (Russia), Japan, Germany, Norway, and ​Poland. Among these, Italy, France and the USA organized it twice

History 

[ICES1]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies One

   Rome, Italy (Accademia dei Lincei)   1959

[ICES2]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Two

   Manchester, UK (Manchester University)    1963

[ICES3]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Three

   Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Haile Sellasie I University)   1996

[ICES4]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Four

   Rome, Italy (Accademia dei Lincei)   1972

[ICES5A]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Five A

   Nice, France (Association francaise pour la recherche scientifique en Afrique de l’Est / ARESAE)   1977

[ICES5B]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Five B

   Chicago, USA (University of Chicago, Northwestern University and the University of Illinois)    1978

[ICES6]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Six

   Tel Aviv, Israel (Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities)   1980

[ICES7]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Seven

   Lund, Sweden (Lund University and the Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing Countries)   1982

[ICES8]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Eight

   Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University)   1984

[ICES9]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Nine

   Moscow, USSR (Asia and Africa Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences)   1986

[ICES10]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Ten

  Paris, France (Societe francaise pour les etudes ethiopiennes)  1988

[ICES11]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Eleven

      Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University)   1991

[ICES12]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Twelve

   East Lansing, Michigan, USA (Michigan State University)   1994

[ICES13]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Thirteen 

   Kyoto, Japan (Kyoto University)   1997

[ICES14]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Fourteen

   Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University)   2000

[ICES15]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Fifteen

   Hamburg, Germany (Asia-Africa-Institute, Hamburg University)   2003

[ICES16]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Sixteen

   Trondheim, Norway (Trondheim University)   2007

[ICES17]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Seventeen

   Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University)    2009

[ICES18]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Eighteen 

   Dirre Dawa, Ethiopia (French Centre of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa & Institute of Ethiopian Studies, in coop. with Dirre Dawa University)   2012

[ICES19]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Nineteen

   Warsaw, Poland (Department of African Languages and Cultures, Warsaw University)   2015

[ICES20]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Twenty 

   Mekelle, Ethiopia (Mekelle University)   2018

[ICES21]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Twenty One

   Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University)   2020

[ICES22]International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Twenty Two

  Hawassa, Ethiopia (Hawassa University)   2025