Research Topic

Here is an edited-down version of my research proposal. It's still in progress so don't get too disgusted by the writing. In other quick news: I'm heading back to Kisumu on Sunday morning for better or worse. I'll miss Nairobi, but I like Kisumu a lot too. I also loaded some new pictures onto Flickr just for fun, a couple old and some new ones.

I. Background and Introduction

Cultures are often taken as given, timeless, and unchanging. Yet cultural change is a fact, even if it happens in some places faster than others. Today, Luo cultural practices are undergoing rapid change – particularly in the arena of marriage and family traditions. It takes quite a bit of time to thoroughly understand the particular rituals and habits that form an organizational premise for their culture. Many of these traditions involve marriage and family. In one example of a still-practiced tradition, the oldest son has a private house built for him outside of the general family compound. This is called a simba in Kiswahili. This is the house where his wife will move to, out of her own family’s compound. Once a woman spends one night in this house, she is considered married, although it is not completely official until a dowry is negotiated between the two fathers. Once the eldest son is married, another simba may be built.

These particular practices are still widely used in Luoland in Western Kenya, however other cultural practices are becoming less common, even becoming looked-down upon. For example, many grandfathers in the families have multiple wives. This was appropriate as long as the man could provide for all his wives and children. Most young men these days do not plan to take multiple wives, considering it sinful and inappropriate.

Another tradition that is becoming less common is that of wife inheritance. In the past, when a husband died, the wife needed to be inherited by a brother or other male in the family member, as well as the semi-orphaned children. The woman was not allowed to go back into her own family’s compound, so she needed a safe place to be taken care of and to manage a cohesive society. These practices are no longer considered appropriate or desirable. Luo culture is changing rapidly, with old practices shunned, while others are maintained.

II. Statement of the Problem

These intricate practices are being simplified in a sense, as the Luo community in Western Kenya decides to adjust their customs. This essay seeks to answer the question, what explains change in traditional Luo cultural practices, particularly surrounding polygamy and widow inheritance? Furthermore, how does a community go about making those changes? The first critical issue to examine in the field of cultural change is what is fueling these changes. There are many possibilities in this regard, from diseases such as HIV/AIDS, demographic changes, internal movements, or government policies. There must be something that triggers these changes.

Another important issue to address is where this change originates from once it is triggered. For instance, does the chief or other leader or a community mandate it? Does an NGO come in and hold behavior change seminars that they find appropriate? Do members of the community finally decide they are not satisfied with the current practices? The answers to these questions may also shed light on how a community decides which practices to change, as related to the triggers referred to previously.

Lastly, the implementation of cultural change is an integral part of the puzzle. Once something triggers cultural change, and the community decides or is influenced, somehow the change must executed. In the case of Western Kenya and Luoland, one particularly interesting instance is the “behavior change workshops” where cultural change is initiated. Understanding the course these workshops run will lead to a further understanding of the issues and of the way communities initiate the culture change they decide on, or perhaps in some cases, that is imposed from above. However, there are other ways of implementing culture change. In many cases, NGO’s and CBO’s are involved in educating, or sensitizing, the community. Additionally, the chief of the community is very important, showing that there are many parties involved in instigating cultural change. Each of these plays a different role in terms of strength and purpose, which must be understood to fully grasp the issue.

III. Objectives

This paper aims to discuss, using Luo culture in Western Kenya, Nyanza Province as the subject: 1) analyze the causes and triggers of cultural change in this particular setting; 2) understand in which way the community comes to a consensus or decision about which cultural practices are no longer useful and appropriate; 3) explore the ways in which cultural change is implemented; 4) how this proves or disproves some of the current literature on wider cultural change in the world; 5) finally, to provide recommendations on how to most appropriately, respectfully, and effectively implement cultural change.

There are also sections on literature review and research methodology, but somehow I don't think those are appropriate...