Gerontocrats and colonial alliances

bibliographic database
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Book chapter

Title:	Gerontocrats and colonial alliances
Author:	Simpson, George L.
Book title:	The Politics of Age and Gerontocracy in Africa
Year:	1998
Pages:	65-96
Language:	English
Geographic terms:	Kenya United Kingdom
Subjects:	elderly Samburu colonialism
Abstract:	This chapter is a study of the suppression of the Samburu 'murran' or 'warriors', as part of the Samburu age-grade system during the colonial era in Kenya. Based on an examination of the archival records, the study shows that an alliance of convenience emerged between Samburu elders, or gerontocrats, and colonial administrators that was largely at the expense of the 'murran'. The nature of this relationship was complex and often contradictory, with neither side fully trusting the other and each seeking to enlist support from whatever sources of authority it could win over. In the end, the broader range for initiative that the Kenya administration gave to the elders further strengthened the power of the gerontocrats within Samburu society, albeit at the cost of creeping colonial encroachment into the affairs of the Samburu. Notes, ref.