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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Commitment issues: security and belonging in a white Kenyan household |
Author: | Fox, Graham |
Year: | 2014 |
Periodical: | Canadian Journal of African Studies (ISSN 0008-3968) |
Volume: | 48 |
Issue: | 2 |
Pages: | 353-372 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Kenya |
Subjects: | Whites colonialism group identity human security communities social status citizenship |
External link: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00083968.2014.953557 |
Abstract: | Once the archetype of romantic colonialism, white Kenyans with personal or familial ties to colonialism face a multitude of challenges with respect to their history and political status. In this article, the author examines how discourses related to whites 'belonging' in Kenya have constellated around the issue of security, especially in Nairobi, where crime (and recently, terrorism) makes security a potent and political topic. Of particular importance is the staff that white Kenyans employ in their homes. In contexts where African neighbours are predominantly impoverished, he emphasizes employer-employee relationships as a key performance of commitment to the Kenyan community. As amendments to the Kenyan constitution have brought forth new issues related to citizenship and 'commitment' by white Kenyan citizens, he also proffers that domestic projects of securitization help to establish their investment or commitment to Kenya, constituting both a grounded and discursive defence against crime or political antagonism. Bibliogr., notes, sum. [Journal abstract] |