Tilahun Kifle Ergete

Tilahun Kifle is a distinguished sociologist and urban ethnographer specializing in the intersection of urban precarity, disability rights, and subaltern moral economies. With over a decade of experience as a practitioner-scholar, Tilahun has dedicated his career to bridging the gap between high-level academic theory and grassroots social transformation in the Global South.

As the Founder and Senior Consultant at Social NET Consulting, he leads strategic initiatives that translate complex social data into actionable policy recommendations, specifically focusing on the inclusion of marginalized communities in Ethiopia. His leadership has been recognized by the Open Society Foundations, which awarded him the Civil Society Leadership Award in 2017.

Tilahun’s scholarly contributions focus on "human infrastructures" and the "sovereign rhythms" of cities. His forthcoming article in Urbanities-Journal of Urban Ethnography, titled "Thresholds of Arrival: An Ethiopian Reflexive Ethnography in Mumbai," establishes a pioneering South-to-South theoretical framework, provincializing Western urban theory through a reflexive, Ethiopian vantage point.

He holds an MA in Sociology and Social Anthropology with a specialization in Global and Urban Studies from the Central European University, where his thesis was described as a "masterclass in reflexive ethnography." Tilahun continues to challenge global frameworks of justice, advocating for a world where equity is a reality rather than an aspiration.

• Co-founded Initiative "Media Smart Youth Ethiopia" which aims to empower youth with knowledge and skills of digital media to enable them become active citizens.
• Successfully delivered the “Media Literacy Training” organized by the Ethiopian Ministry of Peace and the Voluntary Service Overseas- Ethiopia for more than 10,000 youth leaders in 2021.
• Successfully led the baseline study on the “21st Century Active Teaching and Learning Methodologies” which is part of a bigger project entitled “Promoting Greater Access to University for Girls" implemented by Cuso International Ethiopia and the Institute of International Education Ethiopia and funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada (GAC) in 2021.
• Successfully led the baseline study on “Peace Matters: Dialogue for Peaceful Coexistence” project which was funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by Mahiberehiwot for Social Development (MSD) in 2020.
• Participate in the national assistive technology capacity assessment which was conducted by Clinton Health Access Initiatives (CHAI) in collaboration with Ethiopian Ministry of Health and all other relevant stakeholders in 2019. The assessment aimed to evaluate and monitor the capacity of Ethiopia to finance, procure, and provide assistive technology based on population needs. The findings from this assessment helped to better understand the overall landscape for assistive technology, to refine assistive technology policies and programs, to inform the development of national action plans that improve access to assistive technology.
• Able to manage the successful process of securing modern "Braille Embosser Machine" worth more than $ 25,000 which is produced and donated by ONCE (Spanish National Organization of the Blinds) to Ethiopian National Association of the Blinds in 2016.
• Produced number of articles on local periodicals about social issues in English and Amharic language (Ethiopian official language). Few of the titles are listed bellow:-
• “ነጭ በትር-የዓይነ ሥውራን የነፃነት ምልክት”- ሪፖርተር ጋዜጣ-ማስታወሻ አምድ-ጥቅምት 9፤2007 ዓ.ም
• “አካል ጉዳተኞችን ‘አይችሉም' ያለው ማነው? “-ሪፖርተር ጋዜጣ - ማህበራዊ አምድ - ሚያዝያ 26 ፤ 2006 ዓ.ም
• “Braille in Public Libraries” –AFUBNEWS, Issue 3, September 2016 G.C
• “የሞምባሳ ማስታወሻዬ” -ሪፖርተር ጋዜጣ - ማስታወሻ አምድ -መጋቢት 15 ፤ 2005 ዓ.ም
• “የስሬ አባቡኔዋ አዳማ”- ሪፖርተር ጋዜጣ - ኪንና ባህል አምድ - ሐምሌ 22፤ 2004ዓ.ም
• “አስቸጋሪው የአቀበት መንገድ” - (ትርጉም) - አዲስ አድማስ ጋዜጣ - ንግድና ኢኮኖሚ አምድ-መጋቢት 11 ፤ 2002 ዓ.ም
• “በጉዲፈቻ የተወሰደችው ኢትዮጵያዊ ህፃን ታሪክና ራዕይ” (ትርጉም)-አዲስ አድማስ ጋዜጣ-ባህል አምሌ 25፤2001 ዓ.ም

Certificate of Recognition - “Media Smart Youth” - awarded by Voluntary Service Overseas-Ethiopia (VSO-E) for successfully leading a Media Literacy training as part of the Ethiopian National Youth Voluntary Community Service Program organized by the FDRE Ministry of Peace from January 13, 2021 to March 3, 2021 for more than 10,000 youth in Ethiopia.

I enjoy reading books, writing stories influenced by anthropological insights, meeting new people, traveling to new places, watching films and football matches.

• Participated in the “East Africa Regional Alumni Conference” organized by Open Society Foundation in Nairobi – Kenya from 3rd to 6th of December 2019.
• Participated in the 2019 “Open Society Foundation's European Regional Spring Conference” organized Open Society Foundation in Paris - France from 26th of February to 1st of March 2019.
• Participated in the 2018 “Open Society Foundation's European Regional Spring Conference” organized by Open Society Foundation in collaboration with Durham University in United Kingdom from 3rd to 6th of April 2018.
• Participated in the “Experience Sharing Program” organized by the Spanish National Organization of the Blinds ONCE , in Madrid - Spain from 16th to 21st of October 2016.