Youth and Experiences of Ageing among Maa: Models of Society Evoked by the Maasai, Samburu, and Chamus of Kenya

Paul Spencer

Open Access Published by De Gruyter Open Poland 2014

Youth and Experiences of Ageing among Maa

Models of Society Evoked by the Maasai, Samburu, and Chamus of Kenya

Paul Spencer

https://doi.org/10.2478/9783110372335

Overview
Contents

About this book

The Maa of East Africa are a cluster of related pastoral peoples who share a social organization based on age. This groups men into life-long cohorts from their initiation in youth, regardless of family wealth. Historically, this type of pre-market society has been described in every continent, but East Africa provides the principal surviving region of age-based societies, among whom the Maasai are the best known. In this volume, comparison between three branches of Maa highlights different aspects of their society: the dynamics of power with age and gender among the Maasai, of ritual performance and belief among the Samburu, and of historical change among the Chamus.

Here it is argued that understanding another culture can only be approached through models derived in the first instance from the representations conveyed by members of that culture. The social anthropologist may then elaborate these images through the choice of analytical parallels, even extending to other disciplines and personal experience. Each chapter in this volume views Maa institutions through a different lens, exploring models relevant to a comprehensive analysis of their social life.

Of interest to anthropologists, sociologists, political scientists, scholars of gender studies, historians, and development specialists, among others.

Author / Editor information

Professor Paul Spencer, Emeritus Professor at SOAS Department of Anthropology and Sociology.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	V
Introduction Publicly Available Download PDF	1
1 Reminiscence and the Manipulation of Experience Publicly Available Download PDF	8
Part I: The Maasai Age System (1976-77)
2 The Natural Substructure of Age-set Systems and the Social Construction of Ageing among Maasai Publicly Available Download PDF	22
3 Stratification and Social Mobility: Patterns of Inequality among Maasai and Hindus Publicly Available Download PDF	43
4 Anger, Comradeship and Age-set Exogamy among Maasai: an Elaboration of Alliance Theory Publicly Available Download PDF	57
Part II: Samburu Ritual and Cosmology (1957-60, 1962)
5 Arenas of Dance among Samburu Publicly Available Download PDF	72
6 Anxiety and the Interpretation of Ritual among Samburu Publicly Available Download PDF	92
7 The Transfiguration of Samburu Religion Publicly Available Download PDF	111
Part III: Indigenous Democracy and Change Among the Chamus (1959, 1977)
8 The Evolution of Indigenous Knowledge among Chamus – or Global Diffusion? Publicly Available Download PDF	142
9 Maa Democracy, Development and Alternative Realities: an Open Letter Publicly Available Download PDF	162
References Publicly Available Download PDF	172
List of Maps Publicly Available Download PDF	176
List of Figures Publicly Available Download PDF	177
List of Tables Publicly Available Download PDF	178
List of Charts Publicly Available Download PDF	179
List of Plates Publicly Available Download PDF	180
Subject Index Publicly Available Download PDF	181
Name Index Publicly Available Download PDF	186

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter Open Poland
Audience: An assured audience including: anthropology, sociology, political science, gender studies, history, development specialists
Pages
- Main content: 196
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 6
- Coloured Illustrations: 5
- Tables: 7
Keywords: anthropology; sociology; political science; gender studies; history; development studies; Africa; Maasai

eBook

Published: July 4, 2014
ISBN: 9783110372335

Hardcover

Published: July 4, 2014
ISBN: 9783110372328