Changes in Economy and Ideology: A Study of Joluo of Kenya with Special Reference to Women
A foundational Ph.D. study evaluating the intersection of class, gender, and colonial history.
Research Abstract
This doctoral thesis examines the socio-economic transformations among the Joluo of Kenya during the colonial period. It specifically analyses how the introduction of a wage-labour economy and new ideologies regarding land ownership fundamentally altered the roles and status of women.
The study utilises a combination of archival research and direct ethnographic observation to document the transition from subsistence-based economies to market-integrated systems. Prof. Pala identifies key moments of resistance and adaptation among Joluo women as they navigated these structural shifts.
Key Findings
Land Tenure Shifts
How individualisation of land title marginalised collective user rights historically held by women.
Ideological Transition
The role of colonial education and religion in reframing domestic roles.
Full Research Document
Access the complete digitized Ph.D. dissertation from the Harvard University Archive.
Institutional Record
- Academic Institution
- Harvard University
- Department
- Social Anthropology
- Year of Defense
- 1977
Finding Aid
This item is part of the Harvard University Digital Collection and the Prof. Achola Pala Archive.
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