Location
Diamond 343
Start Date
30-4-2015 2:55 PM
End Date
30-4-2015 3:55 PM
Project Type
Presentation
Description
Kinship ties in Africa form the basis of social organization. Far different from the Western conception of individual agency, individuals in Africa often define themselves in terms of their community or lineage. The tension between these two forms of identity-formation is visible in the field of international development. The aim of this research project is to understand the ways in which the social organization of the Luo people of Kisumu, Kenya has interacted with the various projects implemented by both governmental and non-governmental actors. Do those programs emphasize the agency of the individual in ways that complement the larger social system, or do they come into conflict? Do the participants in these programs feel that their identities and customs are challenged by the Western conception of development, and if so, how do they respond? Based on the fieldwork I will conduct in January 2015, I expect to find that the cultural and social dissimilarities between Western development actors and their targeted communities undermine the logic of the initiatives as the communities dont behave the way the development agents expect for their program to work. This is the abstract I submitted to the conference where I'm presenting in April, and reflects the direction in which my project was heading before my field research in January. As my transcribing and writing continues over the coming weeks, I will revise this section to better reflect my project's content. (the title is also subject to change)
Faculty Sponsor
Patrice Franko
Sponsoring Department
Colby College. Global Studies Program
CLAS Field of Study
Interdisciplinary Studies
Event Website
http://www.colby.edu/clas
ID
1424
Included in
Hodge-Podge Hybridity: Luo and Western Identities in the Kenyan Development Context
Diamond 343
Kinship ties in Africa form the basis of social organization. Far different from the Western conception of individual agency, individuals in Africa often define themselves in terms of their community or lineage. The tension between these two forms of identity-formation is visible in the field of international development. The aim of this research project is to understand the ways in which the social organization of the Luo people of Kisumu, Kenya has interacted with the various projects implemented by both governmental and non-governmental actors. Do those programs emphasize the agency of the individual in ways that complement the larger social system, or do they come into conflict? Do the participants in these programs feel that their identities and customs are challenged by the Western conception of development, and if so, how do they respond? Based on the fieldwork I will conduct in January 2015, I expect to find that the cultural and social dissimilarities between Western development actors and their targeted communities undermine the logic of the initiatives as the communities dont behave the way the development agents expect for their program to work. This is the abstract I submitted to the conference where I'm presenting in April, and reflects the direction in which my project was heading before my field research in January. As my transcribing and writing continues over the coming weeks, I will revise this section to better reflect my project's content. (the title is also subject to change)
https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2015/program/302