Pastoral women and sedentism : milk marketing by Ariaal Rendille females of northern Kenya
Date
1997
Authors
Mitchell, Judith Dale
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Abstract
Pastoral Women and Sedentism: Milk Marketing by Ariaal Rendille Females of Northern Kenya is a study on women's socio-economic roles and activities within a contemporary East African pastoral society. It also explores the challenges which females face as pastoral societies become more fully sedentary and integrated into the formal economy. The thesis begins with a composite literature review of related issues and findings, providing a contextual framework for the core investigations. In the focal section, the document outlines two separate studies undertaken in 1995 fieldwork with Ariaal Rendille pastoral women of Karare, northern Kenya. One investigation covers the economic-specifics of female milk marketing, while the other explores women's 'emic' perspectives on issues related to sedentism. These studies indicate that Ariaal milk marketing depletes household milk supplies and milk sale earnings barely facilitate household survival. Conditions are worse for Ariaal women as a result of sedentism .