Alula Pankhurst

Pankhurst is a graduate of Oxford University and has an MA (1986) and PhD (1989) in Social Anthropology from the University of Manchester.^[2] His grandmother Sylvia Pankhurst was a champion of Ethiopia during World War 2 and his parents Rita and Richard Pankhurst lived and worked in Ethiopia for decades.^[3] Pankhurst's first name is in honor of Ras Alula, a famous Ethiopian leader. Pankhurst has led a variety of studies and projects on behalf of various groups such as the World Bank, IrishAid, Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa, and International Livestock Centre for Africa.^{[citation needed]}

Pankhurst has published academic and professional books and articles. Topics have included traditional peacemaking and reconciliation, issues of internal migration and resettlement, poverty, AIDS, funeral associations, and access to natural resources. In Peripheral People, he stated that marginalized people in Ethiopia are sometimes considered "not real people".^[4] The fuga group was identified as one of these and members were not allowed to participate in social and political administration of their community.^[5]