Young, Urban, Professional, and Kenyan? Conversations Exploring Tribal Identity and Nationhood

• In Event: Roundtable Session 32
  In Roundtable Session: Education in a Postcolonial World

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between young, urban, professional, Kenyan adults and their tribal groups by addressing the ways in which they define their tribal identities. From this juncture, the study interrogates the concept of nationhood by querying participant interpretations of the concepts of power and resistance within their multi-ethnic societies. Preliminary analysis suggests that there exists an impenetrable link between tribal identity and nationhood. These findings indicate the need for a re-conceptualization of the term ‘nation’ in the post-independence era. This study contributes to the fields of Indigenous Knowledge and Critical Studies by using dialogue to examine the nature of relationships between participants and their tribes.

Author

• Sarah Charlotte Evensen, Chapman University