Title: Temporal Sovereignty and Systematic Living: The Ethiopian Calendar as a Counter-Narrative to Global Chronometry.
Authors: Musimenta Nancy
Ahumuza Audrey
Volume: 10
Issue: 3
Pages: 384-391
Publication Date: 2026/03/28
Abstract:
This study examined the Ethiopian calendar as a counter-narrative to global Gregorian chronometry, conceptualizing it as a form of temporal sovereignty whose systematic practice structures daily life, cultural identity, and postcolonial epistemic resistance among Ethiopian populations. Employing a mixed-methods design across four purposively selected research sites Addis Ababa, Axum, Bahir Dar, and a rural Oromia community-the study collected quantitative survey data from a stratified random sample of 1,200 adult participants alongside 30 in-depth interviews, six focus group discussions, and documentary analysis of state and religious records spanning 1974 to 2024. Statistical analysis proceeded through three sequential layers: univariate descriptive statistics revealed that rural participants recorded substantially higher calendar adherence (M = 86.9) and temporal sovereignty scores (M = 43.2) than urban participants (M = 71.4 and M = 33.6 respectively), with a consistent generational gradient showing the 56+ cohort as the most adherent and the 18-35 cohort as the most variable. Bivariate analyses established large and significant positive correlations between calendar adherence and WHO-5 wellbeing (r = .58) and social cohesion (r = .63), alongside significant negative Spearman correlations between years of formal education and both adherence (? = ?.44) and temporal sovereignty (? = ?.39); ANOVA confirmed significant inter-cohort differences in calendar adherence (F(2, 1197) = 84.31, ?² = .12) with rural-urban residence producing the largest bivariate effect size (d = 1.24). Longitudinal latent growth curve modeling revealed a significant population-level decline in calendar adherence of ?3.42 scale points per five-year interval, with the youngest cohort's slope (?6.87) nearly nine times steeper than that of the oldest (?0.74), while multilevel regression identified calendar adherence (? = 0.43) and the Temporal Sovereignty Index (? = 0.31) as the strongest individual-level predictors of wellbeing, with an ICC of .19 confirming significant community-level clustering of wellbeing outcomes. The study concluded that temporal sovereignty, as practiced through systematic Ethiopian calendar engagement, constitutes a measurable psychological and social resource whose accelerating erosion among younger and urban populations represents a structurally significant threat to cultural identity and community wellbeing, necessitating urgent policy intervention in education, digital governance, and community cultural programming.