I Say to You

I Say to You
Author: Gabrielle Lynch
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2011-09-26
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0226498093

In 2007 a disputed election in Kenya erupted into a two-month political crisis that led to the deaths of more than a thousand people and the displacement of almost seven hundred thousand. Much of the violence fell along ethnic lines, the principal perpetrators of which were the Kalenjin, who lashed out at other communities in the Rift Valley. What makes this episode remarkable compared to many other instances of ethnic violence is that the Kalenjin community is a recent construct: the group has only existed since the mid-twentieth century. Drawing on rich archival research and vivid oral testimony, I Say to You is a timely analysis of the creation, development, political relevance, and popular appeal of the Kalenjin identity as well as its violent potential. Uncovering the Kalenjin’s roots, Gabrielle Lynch examines the ways in which ethnic groups are socially constructed and renegotiated over time. She demonstrates how historical narratives of collective achievement, migration, injustice, and persecution constantly evolve. As a consequence, ethnic identities help politicians mobilize support and help ordinary people lay claim to space, power, and wealth. This kind of ethnic politics, Lynch reveals, encourages a sense of ethnic difference and competition, which can spiral into violent confrontation and retribution.

Kenya

Kenya
Author: Maurice Odhiambo Makoloo
Publisher: Minority Rights Group
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2005
Genre: History
ISBN:

Minorities and indigenous peoples in Kenya feel excluded from the economic and political life of the state. They are poorer than the rest of Kenya's population, their rights are not respected and they are rarely included in development of other participatory planning processes. This report discusses the abuse of ethnicity in Kenyan policies, arguing that ethnicity is a card all too often used by Kenyan politicians to favour certain communities over others in the share of the nation's wealth. Kenya: Minorities, Indigenous Peoples and Ethnic Diversity exposes these concerns in detail via the analysis of budgetary expenditure in the poor Turkana region, which is dominated by the minority Turkana people, and in the richer Nyeri region, home of Kenya's current President. The author, Maurice Odhiambo Makoloo, calls for immediate action to address the inequalities and marginalization of communities, as a way of ensuring that Kenya remains free of major conflict. It calls for disaggregated data - by ethnicity and gender - and a new Constitution to devolve power away from the centre, so that minority and indigenous peoples stand to benefit from current and new development programmes.The report argues that Kenya's diversity should be its strength and need not be a threat to national unity. Suppressing and denying ethnic diversity is the quickest route to inter-ethnic conflict and claims of succession. The report calls for urgent action.

From Divided Pasts to Cohesive Futures

From Divided Pasts to Cohesive Futures
Author: Hiroyuki Hino
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 469
Release: 2019-08-22
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1108476600

Offers an insightful yet readable study of the paths - and challenges - to social cohesion in Africa, by experienced historians, economists and political scientists.

Making Ethnic Ways

Making Ethnic Ways
Author: Bill Bravman
Publisher: James Currey
Total Pages: 308
Release: 1998
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN:

This history of the Taita people during the 20th century focuses on their gradual adoption of a novel ethnic identity. The author shows how ethnicity became a language through which prior struggles were reframed and continued.

Divide and Rule

Divide and Rule
Author: Binaifer Nowrojee
Publisher: Human Rights Watch
Total Pages: 136
Release: 1993
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9781564321176

Effects on the violence

The Oxford Handbook of Kenyan Politics

The Oxford Handbook of Kenyan Politics
Author: Nic Cheeseman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 786
Release: 2020
Genre: History
ISBN: 0198815697

The Oxford Handbook of Kenyan Politics provides a comprehensive and comparative overview of the Kenyan political system as well as an insightful account of Kenyan history from 1930 to the present day.

Diversity, Violence, and Recognition

Diversity, Violence, and Recognition
Author: Elisabeth King
Publisher:
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2020
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0197509452

When considering strategies to address violent conflict, scholars and policymakers debate the wisdom of recognizing versus avoiding reference to ethnic identities in government institutions. In Diversity, Violence, and Recognition, Elisabeth King and Cyrus Samii examine the reasons that governments choose to recognize ethnic identities and the consequences of such choices for peace. The authors introduce a theory on the merits and risks of recognizing ethnic groups in state institutions, pointing to the crucial role of ethnic demographics. Through a global quantitative analysis and in-depth case studies of Burundi, Rwanda, and Ethiopia, they find promise in recognition. Countries that adopt recognition go on to experience less violence, more economic vitality, and more democratic politics, but these effects depend on which ethnic group is in power. King and Samii's findings are important for scholars studying peace, democracy, and development, and practically relevant to policymakers attempting to make these concepts a reality.

Islam & Ethnicity in Northern Kenya & Southern Ethiopia

Islam & Ethnicity in Northern Kenya & Southern Ethiopia
Author: Günther Schlee
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2012
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 1847010466

A study of the longue durée of a marginalized part of northern Kenya, examining the process of territorialization and the role of Islam in politicizing ethnicity. The recent ethnic violence in Kenya has been preceded by a process of territorialization and politicization of ethnicity. This study examines a marginalized part of Kenya, the semi-arid north inhabited by pastoralists of three language groups - speakers of Oromo, Somali, and Rendille. It spans different periods of time, from early processes of ethnic differentiation between groups, through the colonial period when differences were reflected in administrative policies, to recent times, when global minority discourses, particularly those related to Islam, are tapped by local political agents and ethnic entrepreneurs. A companion volume to Pastoralism and Politics in Northern Kenya and Southern Ethiopia, this book is based on over thirty-four years of field research and synthesizes findings from history and political anthropology. Günther Schlee is director of the Department of 'Integration and Conflict', Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle, Germany; Abdullahi Shongolo is an independent scholar based in Kenya.

Ethnic Politics in Kenya and Nigeria

Ethnic Politics in Kenya and Nigeria
Author: Godfrey Mwakikagile
Publisher: Nova Publishers
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2001
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781560729679

This book is more than just a study of ethnic politics in Kenya and Nigeria. The two countries are a microcosm of the entire continent: the problems it faces, its successes and failures, and the hope and despair of hundreds of millions of its people whose aspirations have been frustrated by decades of corrupt leadership that has skilfully exploited one of Africa's biggest weaknesses -- tribalism. But the people themselves are also responsible for that. They have allowed tribalism to flourish and destroy the countries. And they have allowed unscrupulous politicians to use and abuse them -- without storming the Bastille. What they are not responsible for is dictatorship African leaders instituted to perpetuate themselves in office by exploiting tribalism. These despots have been so good at it, and have done it for so long since independence, that many African countries are now on the brink of collapse, with the people at war against themselves.