Zanzibar photos

Are there races in Kenya?

Although I haven't gotten a hold of the Ford Film yet, from my understanding race is simply another genetic strand of our DNA that holds as much significance as any other trait. While I can agree that race may not exist, pertaining to the definition that it strongly separates humans biologically, there are socially constructed races in Kenya that do create division.
As Sutton described in the "Settlement of East Africa," appearance was something that was used to categorize people (especially by the Europeans), immediately creating a hierarchy. "...the 'Hamites' have commonly been envisaged as the 'more European-like' of Africans--in other words those peoples with lighter skins, thinner lips and straighter noses... has won a romantic admiration from the European observers. He has been hailed as innately superior, especially be he light-skinned" (39). Sutton declares this a myth in his title because of the unfair credit 'Hamites' have received; the politically correct name is Caucasoid. While the name and perception may be a myth, how that myth has influenced politics in Kenya is pertinent. Despite how these people are recognized, their appearance has shaped the way they are viewed from Europeans and Africa, and initiating a different culture and identity for this "group." People of different appearances assimilate to their own cultures, and are molded into becoming their "race."

hmmmm.....

I would agree with what the other postings have said thus far, race is something that humans have created. Because it is something that has been created, answering this question is very difficult. Separation of so called races can be distinguished by geographical location, dialect, appearance, history, nationality, as well as other characteristics. However, based on the reading and the video we watched in class, we all originated in the same place, therefore we are all linked, therefore we are all the same race? I could say that race is cultural, and that to define race, we must define culture, but I feel that I cannot do that. There are different cultures in Kenya, so for the sake of this posting, I am going to say yes, yes there are different races in Kenya, because there are different cultures. However, going back to what I said before, race is a creation by man, and my thought process is just a giant circle. To answer this question properly with full confidence behind it, I would have to be firm in my definition of race as well as culture, I do not have a firm definition of either.

Based on what we have discussed so far, are there different races in Kenya?

According to the Ford Foundation's video, there should be no such thing as race. Race is a human construct that undoubtedly affects people worldwide. Countless wars and human rights violations have been waged through ideas of racial superiority. Kenya is no different from the rest of the world. In Kenya I'm a Mzungu, in Latin American I'm a Gringo, in Tahiland I'm a Farang, etc. The American Heritage Dictionary's definition of race is as follows: "Any group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality, or geographical distribution." Technically speaking, as we've read in Merrick Posnansky's "The Prehistory of East Africa", all humans originated in the same area. We all have common ancestors, but currently don't all have the same nationality and geographic distribution. As Taylor said, race has many definitions. Cornell West would argue regardless of one's definition, racism exists and matters. Can race be ignored?

Race...

Race is such a difficult thing to define, or even determine if it is real. Different people groups have different cultures and ways of life. The problem is that when race is mentioned there are many stereotypes associated that are not accurate. How do we set concrete boundaries on specific races when there is such a variety of groups that are all blended together in some way or another. In my view we are all people that come from different places and live our lives in unique ways. It is these differences that make them unique and fascinating to interact with. Personally I do not believe there are different races in Kenya, but that is just a personal opinion. In general people are divided by race based on their looks, where they are from, their speech or language, or by anything that makes them different from others. This only looks at the outward part of a person.


Nathan Kennedy

These are my thoughts after watching the movie…

In our society the idea of Race is generally characterized by the color of a individuals skin and their ancestry. This idea would lead us to believe that there are differences in our DNA/genetics that make us different Races. The idea of Race research, doing scientific studies to find differences between people of different Races, is still pretty new, and in the 1920’s was cutting edge in the science world. Scientist’s measured brain sizes, body parts, and compared the results between varying “Races”. The results were often used to make one race appear superior to others. This idea of different anatomy between Races suggests a difference in biology between Races. In the film we watched, various DNA tests were done to see what the differences in DNA between Races were. The results showed that the DNA between what we consider different races varied the same amount as it did within its own race. This leads me to believe that race is not a biological difference between people but a socially constructed concept created to support dominion over other races. I do not know much about DNA or biology but would like to explore more about that topic as well as different creation myths and how they have affected the idea of Race throughout history. While I am not completely familiar with these concepts or with Kenya’s history I would argue that there are various ethnic groups in Kenya. Stating whether there are different Races is hard because I believe Race exists but that it exists because we have created it.

Sarah Morrison 

Race Blog

So, is this where I am to post my answer to the question "Based on what we have discussed so far, are there races in Kenya?"

In class we discussed evolution theory that attempts to give a scientific explanation to the existence of different races. We talked about how racial groups can be defined differently in physical (visual), social, political, and geographical ways. We watched a short movie that told us that racial groups have not been separately defined genetically or biologically.

The myriad ways that RACE can be defined makes this question difficult to answer. For the purpose of this assignment I will assume that races only exist when there are social, political, or other prejudices against a particular group. Another way of describing this view would be to say that if there were no differentiations made between races, races would not exist. Race is only defined by racism. As I believe that racism does exist in Kenya, I will answer that yes, there are races in Kenya.

Taylor

Welcome to the Kenya: History, Culture, and Current Issues blog!

Welcome to Kenya: History, Culture and Current Issues! I am very excited to get started on this course with you all—we have a big class, and that is great. We will all be bringing different life experience and interests to our work, and the more of that the better because we will be learning, not just from the teachers and texts but from each other.

We are also very lucky to have Kate Cabot join us this semester as the teaching assistant for this class. Kate went to Kenya with the first PC class, in 2005, and she has been working with me and others in Maasailand since, including spending 6 months in Kenya teaching Maasai youth to become field guides in the tourism industry. Kate will work closely with you on your research into tourism, and will teach several classes on conservation and women’s issues.

This course was created this class a year ago for two main reasons. First, this course is a prerequisite for the summer program in Kenya, Maasailand: A Study of Community Activism. The summer program is immersed in one Kenyan community, and this course is designed to create context. Second, this course provides the opportunity for students not planning to go to Kenya, but who are interested in studying the history and political/social situation of an East African country. By developing an in-depth understanding of one sub-Saharan African country, we can understand a great deal about larger continental dynamics. We can find answers to questions like: Why do we see eruptions of violence in some African countries and why don’t we see it in others?  What is “the land issue” that gets referred to all the time? How much of an impact has Christian missionary work, public education, wildlife conservation, and tourism had on indigenous communities? What does “Indigenous” even mean when talking about Africa—aren’t all African people indigenous? Why hasn’t three trillion dollars in aid, given by western governments over the past four decades, been successful in eradicating poverty in Africa? Why do African governments have a reputation for corruption—is it deserved?

The curriculum for this class is organized around three themes:

1.     History. We will study the history of the region that is now Kenya from the birth of humankind to the present, from the arrival of the various indigenous communities into the area from other parts of Africa and the Middle East; the cosmopolitan cultures created on the coast following waves of in migration of Arab, Portuguese,  and Indian people beginning in the 10^th century; the  colonization of East Africa by the British in the late 19^th century, the era known as Independence in the 1960s , and recent political and economic history under Kenya’s three presidential administrations. Through the history, we will explore Kenya’s diversity. There are 42 (some say 70) ethnic communities living in Kenya, and we will look at what has made them distinct, how they have maintained discreet identities and also shared economies and culture. The history also enables us to explore how borders have been created and maintained differently, under pre- and post-colonial Kenya.

2.     “Cultural Lens.” We will spend several classes exploring the concept of ‘cultural lens,’ ways of seeing, and especially, what our current U.S. culture has taught us about the continent of Africa and the world’s Indigenous peoples. These classes will provide us with a forum to work on our own relationships to difference—race and gender in particular—to learn about how privilege affects ways of seeing, and how intercultural communities can to achieve cultural equality. It is my experience that nothing that we do to prepare people to work in East Africa is more crucial than getting to know ourselves in these ways. We will look at four  particular lenses through which Africa is typically seen by the West: 1) race, ‘primitivism’ and ‘civilization,’ 2) poverty and the aid industry, 3) Western feminism, and 4) colonialism, decolonization, and  nationhood.

3.     Kenya and the West. We will study the role of the west in shaping this region, through its history current events. We will focus on one particular area, which is tourism.

READING: This is a reading intensive course and you should expect to complete at least 40-50 pages of reading for every class. Many class activities will be based on the reading so it is very important  that you finish the reading on time.  Most readings will be found in a course reader that can be purchased from me for $40. We will also read two books—one an autobiography, I Refuse to Die: My Journey to Freedom, by Koigi wa Wamwere, and the other a biography, It’s Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistle-blower,  by Michela Wrong. The first book can be found in the PC bookstore, but you will need to order this second book on line (we couldn’t get it from the publisher for some reason, but copies are available for cheap through Amazon.com.) Make sure to notice when these books are due on the syllabus so that you can read ahead.

WRITING: The main writing that you will do in this course will be journal style entries posted on a class blog. Although there will be a few specific assignments in our blog forum, most of the blog entries will be focused around the readings and will serve as an open space for all to delve further into the complex material. Everyone is encouraged to post writings about the readings, respond to others posts, engage in open discussions, and add any other new articles they have come across. The blog is a community forum for everyone in the course to be included in ongoing learning and we ask everyone to treat each other with respect and support others’ learning a you do your own.

RESEARCH: Everyone in the class will conduct research as part of a small group, into an aspect of tourism, and each small group will be responsible for teaching one class based on your research. The small groups will each work on one of these three areas: 1) Conservation and Tourism in Africa; 2) Tourism in East Africa; and 3) Indigenous communities throughout the world creating models for tourism.

In addition, each student in the class will be responsible for coming to know one of Kenya’s 42 ethnic communities, and bringing what you learn about that community outside of class into class discussions and blog entries. We will discuss this today.

CONFERENCE: [on tourism]

Summary of work that each student is responsible for :

1.     Buy course reader from Mary, the book by Koigi wa Wamwere from the PC Bookstore, and the book by Michela Wrong on-line (amazon.com)

2.     Show up for class.

3.     Read all assigned readings for class by the date that they are due

4.     Research an aspect of tourism, with a small group, and make a presentation of your research to the whole class. You will get specific instructions about this at a later date.

5.     Participate in the class blog at least once a week during the semester.

6.     Research one ethnic community in Kenya bring that community into your blog entries and class conversations.

Additional work for those of you are Interested in Going to Kenya this Summer:

1.     Sign up for an interview today (first day of class)

2.     For those who are going, several extra classes will be scheduled on evenings or weekends, to discuss logistics.