Bio

Tsebaot Melaku Kelemework is a PhD candidate at the Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR), Uganda. Her research explores the intersection of politics and religion, focusing on the theological and epistemological foundations of Ethiopian secularism. Her dissertation, The Christological Debates of Mentawinet/Nufaque and the Foundations of Ethiopian Secularism: Mysteries from Miaphysite Christianity, critically examines the historical and conceptual tensions between Miaphysite Christianity and Zemenawinet (Ethiopian modernity). Grounded in a decolonial approach, her work challenges the uncritical application of Eurocentric secular frameworks to Ethiopian contexts. Tsebaot’s research foregrounds indigenous spiritual sources—particularly the theological/homiletical and epistemic traditions of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC)—as central to rethinking dominant understandings of secularism, modernity, and decolonization. Her work engages Miaphysite Christian thought as a site of theoretical and political insight that exposes the limitations of Western secular categories. By drawing on these sources, she seeks to illuminate alternative frameworks for interpreting Ethiopian history and politics.