Universität zu Köln

Becker, Anja Katharina (2023). “When men lose their animals, women gain power”: Women and Change in East Pokot, Kenya. PhD thesis, Universität zu Köln.

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Abstract

This thesis analyses the effects of increasing sedentarization among pastoral Pokot in East Pokot, Kenia, on society in general and women specifically and explores how the latter react to the new socio-economic circumstances, and again re-transform a heretofore patriarchal social order. Based on 14 months of fieldwork in the areas of Chemolingot and Kadingding and utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research as well as employing Sherry Ortner’s Theory of Practice, it posits three claims: First, I argue that the face of sedentarization in East Pokot is female. Women are drivers, shapers and beneficiaries of the transformative processes. They surge towards urban centers to explore new sources of income from cash economy and casual work. And they are the ones who leave behind pastoral life to escape from what they perceive as an curtailment of their socioeconomic self-determination. For them, settled life holds a promise of becoming their family’s breadwinners and gain possessions of their own. Second, this tendency generates friction. Men who, due to their social roles being fixed in terms of herders and warriors, have a harder time adjusting to the new reality, perceive female breadwinners and their for more equitable relationships as a threat to their status as heads of households. Here, a confrontational trope of “lazy men” and “disrespectful women” enters the picture. This trope is a critique of the cultural narrative of the gendered division of labor. Naturalized gendered tasks are becoming visible through female cash-income activities. These new practices open up the floor for debates on the workload of men and women. Underpinning this confrontation is Christian religion with its focus on monogamous marriage and its mission of empowering women to become educated and, thus, economically independent. Third, I suggest that the female face of sedentarization is Janus-faced. A woman’s opportunities depend on their education and economic resources as well as social and biographical conditions. In settings where wealth is quantified over livestock, women possess little power. Only when cash and immovable properties come into play can they catch up with men. However, there are also risks, such as pauperization and the dissolution of social networks – as well as the burden of earning the household income and fulfilling all reproductive tasks too. These differences become salient in the institution of marriage. Marriage is an arena of contestation between two ideals – i.e., polygamy, associated with pastoralism, versus monogamy, associated with post-pastoralism – and also between men and women who are bargaining about rights and obligations. Here, the chances of influencing married life hinge on breaking with expectations of what it means to be a Pokot woman and launch new practices.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD thesis)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Becker, Anja Katharina beckeranjakatharina@gmail.com UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-654340
Date:	2023
Place of Publication:	Köln
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Fächergruppe 4: Außereuropäische Sprachen, Kulturen und Gesellschaften > Institut für Ethnologie
Subjects:	Customs, etiquette, folklore
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language social change English Sozialer Wandel German Pastoralismus German Pastoralism English Resilience English Theory of Practice English Theorie der Praxis German Gender Studies English Pokot UNSPECIFIED East Africa English Kenia German Klimawandel German
Date of oral exam:	11 January 2023
Referee:	Name Academic Title Bollig, Michael Prof. Dr. Greiner, Clemens Dr Pelican, Michaela Prof. Dr.
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/65434