Defeating Mau Mau, Creating Kenya

Posted on 23 April 2018 by Daniel Branch

This book details the devastating Mau Mau civil war fought in Kenya during the 1950s and the legacies of that conflict for the post colonial state As many Kikuyu fought with the colonial government as loyalists joined the Mau Mau rebellion Focusing on the role of those loyalists, the book examines the ways in which residents of the country s Central Highlands sought to navigate a path through the bloodshed and uncertainty of civil war It explores the instrumental use of violence, changes to allegiances, and the ways in which cleavages created by the war informed local politics for decades after the conflict s conclusion Moreover, the book moves toward a nuanced understanding of the realities and effects of counterinsurgency warfare Based on archival research in Kenya and the United Kingdom and insights from literature from across the social sciences, the book reconstructs the dilemmas facing members of society at war with itself and its colonial ruler. Download Defeating Mau Mau, Creating Kenya – kino-fada.fr Daniel Branch, professor of African History at the University of Warwick, has become one of my favorite writers on the history of Kenya Believe it or not, it s a highly enjoyable read, making complex issues understandable, and couching larger themes in terrific narratives This book looks at the often ignored dynamic at play in those Africans who chose to fight with the British the loyalists against their fellow African Mau Mau fighters This book is a must read for classes on the history o Daniel Branch, professor of African History at the University of Warwick, has become one of my favorite writers on the history of Kenya Believe it or not, it s a highly enjoyable read, making complex issues understandable, and couching larger themes in terrific narratives This book looks at the...Branch seeks to add another layer to understanding of the Mau Mau conflict by focusing on the importance of loyalist or those Kikuyu who were not part of Mau Mau The interaction of local politics with the colonial govts...It s been interesting to draw comparisons, as a reader, to the dynamics of the Syrian civil war.That said, Brand overstates the significance of the book s main thesis, that the cycles of violence that took hold created entirely new historical trajectories that had little to do with the grievances that cultivated conditions in which the MM insurgency took hold Brand convincingly argues that violence is a catalyst to schisms as much as it is a product of them The exposure of individuals of vio It s been interesting to draw comparisons, as a reader, to the dynamics of the Syrian civil war.That said, Brand overstates the significance of the book s main thesis, that the cycles of violence that took...

English
23 April 2018

Daniel Branch