Anthropology Journal

1. Introduction
2. The author argued that the process of belonging in Kenya has a different dynamic. Belonging requires certain resources which ordinary Kenyans could not possess because of the limited economic opportunities in the country. As a result, some became creative and resorted to “sex-for-money” in order to accumulate material wealth and obtain power in the process. Power, in turn, allows for social inclusion and full realization of citizenship including certain privileges such as being able to establish a reputable identity within a community.
3. The implication of the central argument of the introduction of the book is enormous. First, it illustrates that Kenya lacks economic development. Economic condition is essential for social mobility and social mobility, for its part, is important for the full realization of citizenship. As individuals would naturally work towards exercising their citizenship, it becomes primordial that economic development should be achieved. Therefore, citizenship in Kenya has a negative trade-off; that is, men are being exposed to sexually transmitted infections or diseases because of sex trade.
4. The content of the introduction of the book is clearly related to the concept of citizenship and the process of its attainment. Democracies theoretically recognize and guarantee the right of people to citizenship. However, the full exercise of citizenship also entails costs for individuals and such costs are unbearable if the individual is impoverished. In the case of Kenyans, impoverishment pushes men to engage in sex trade in exchange for the opportunity to achieve power and exercise their citizenship.
5. The author remarked that the trend of Kenyan men exchanging sex for money “generated new allegiances, inequalities, and tensions, raising new concerns over what it meant to belong to the region” (p.5). This quote was quote was chosen because it sums up the dynamics of the process of belonging in the Kenyan society. As can be recalled, the process of belonging and its dynamics is the subject of the book introduction.
6. I find the insights from the book introduction very organized and compelling. By reading the introduction, I already gained an overview of the chapters and developed an initial understanding of what the book really is for.
7. Chapter 1: Moran Sexuality and the Geopolitics of Alterity
8. The author argued that uprightness with regard to sexual desires is a key component of middle-class belongingness and by implication, a necessary element for the attainment of moral citizenship. The portrayal of the Morans as promiscuous was instrumental to colonial policies. It allowed the colonial government to justify its subjugation of the native people by showing that civilizing their tendencies is a compelling necessity.
9. The discussion in the chapter is important as it shows that the pattern of citizen formation in Kenya is not different from any other former colonies such as those in Asia and Latin America.
10. The chapter is related to the other readings of the week as it illustrates how the requirements of citizenship may be externally imposed. Reading the chapter can infer that citizenship could also serve as an instrument of subjugation. Individuals are forced to adapt to the policies of their colonial masters if they want to achieve citizenship.
11. The author remarked that “in Kenya, notions of sexual propriety associated with Christianity, nationalism, and development are criteria of middle-class belonging and by extension, moral citizenship” (p.59). This quote was chosen because it encapsulates the idea of the chapter that citizenship is a means to consolidate power by those occupying the higher echelon of the society.
12. The chapter was compelling mainly because the authors provided a number of evidence particularly anecdotes. These ground the insights from the chapter to reality.

III. Chapter 2: Livelihood and Respectability in Hard Times

1. The chapter argued that during tough times, the definition of respectability becomes very loose. A person would rather perform indecency in order to maintain the respectability of the family. Those who engage in sex-for-money justified their occupation as reasonable on the grounds that this prevents their family from begging on the stress, which is less respectable. The author also argued that while Kenyans have their culture as a source of respectability; the tough economic condition that they are in prompts them to also commodify their culture and cultural identity.
2. The arguments advanced in the chapter are highly relevant. For one, it shows how economics can affect culture. Kenyans do not only showcase their culture for the sake of letting other cultures know about theirs; they also showcase their culture as a means of income-generation. It can be inferred that if Kenya has sufficient industries to make the economy sustainable, the Kenyans would not have been commodiying their cultural identity and their own selves.
3. The content of the chapter is related to the discussion on how individuals negotiate their identity against their social, political and economic environment. One of the intermediating mechanisms between the individual and the society is livelihood. If livelihood fails to provide for the needs of the person, he will be less likely to get integrated into the society. As a result, individuals will look for alternative livelihood and in the case of some Kenyans, this comes in the form of sex trade.
4. The author observed that “personal problems and conflicts led some young men to go the coast at a particular moment in time” (p.88). The coast being referred here is Mombasa where Kenyan young men meet old white foreigners to sell sex. This quote was chosen as it illustrates how the concept of respectability shares a dynamic relationship with livelihood. Trading sex may not be respectable but at least, this makes the societal standing of the family of young Kenyan men respectable.
5. I particularly like the interview of the author with those judging negatively the Kenyan men engaged in sex trade and the Kenyan men themselves. It reveals that judgment is rendered without the society knowing the motivations of young men for engaging in sex trade. I like the discussion of this chapter as it shows that engaging in sex trade may be the most rational decision that can be made during tough economic conditions.
6. Chapter 3: Slippery Intimacy and Ethno-erotic Commodification
7. In this chapter, the author argued that Samburu men and their white women clients are both engaged in the process of ethno-erotic commodification. Men learned about what white women want and this provide exchange value to their physical attributes, identity and culture. White women, on the other hand, also discussed about their encounters with Samburu men thus, further developing the imagined appearance of white Kenyan men as morans to feed their sexual fantasies. The problem occurs when the expectations of both parties do not match. Like the case of Johanna, white women may have fallen in love with their Samburu boyfriend but these local men merely sought them for monetary return.
8. The arguments presented in the chapter are very important as they reveal the sad truth about relationships that are motivated by money on the one hand and sexual adventurism on the other. It shows that relationships that are founded on economic motives and shallow romance are doomed to failure.
9. The content of the chapter is related to other readings as it discussed the process of commodification. All things and individuals have a use value and Samburu men can be loved by white women for their own individuality. However, the expectations of both white women and Samburu men exceed this use value. White women, although not all of them, only sought sexual adventures because of the cultural uniqueness of Samburu men while Samburu men mostly sought for money in exchange for sex and romance. The commodification of intimacy can also be traced to the fact that Kenya offers limited opportunities for the social mobility of its people. Therefore, sex trade serves as a viable solution to address this limitation.
10. The author said that “as men and women sought to grasp their encounters and shape them to their expectations, their intimate lives shifted, took new, unexpected turns, and sometimes dissolved as suddenly as they had emerged” (p.97). This quote was chosen as it summarizes the concept of slippery intimacy. Both Samburu men and their white girlfriends will become disillusioned once they failed to realize their goals for entering in the relationship. Young Kenyan men will become frustrated when they realize that their girlfriend cannot provide for their material demands while white women will be saddened by the fact that they are only being used.
11. This chapter is equally compelling. The author presented the experience of Johanna with her Samburu boyfriend and contrasted it with the romantic experience of Helga. Because of this, the concepts of slippery intimacy and ethno-erotic commodification become concretized.
12. Chapter 4: Shortcut Money, Gossip, and Precarious (Be) longings
13. In this chapter, the author illustrated how the material possession acquired by Samburu men from sex trade effervesces so easily. This is because their wealth is not a fruit of their own labor; that’s why if their white girlfriend (mzungu) is gone, so is their temporary wealth. For the author, the means of wealth accumulation of the Samburu men is precarious since it does not follow the optimal process of wealth accumulation characterized by labor, savings and investment.
14. The main argument of the chapter is very relevant as it implies that nothing can beat hard work and decent means of wealth accumulation. The Samburu men became rich overnight. What has changed is only their material possession and since they have not developed the skill and knowledge to handle their wealth effectively, whatever wealth they gained from their relationship with white women effervesces so easily.
15. The relation of the chapter to other class readings is on its discussion of the relationship of identity formation and economic capacity. As related by Mama Priscilla, Samburu men who became rich in an instant also changed their attitude and personality.
16. In this chapter, the author claimed that the manner of wealth accumulation of Samburu men only follows “temporal rhythms” and also said that “rather than being produced through long years of education and hard work, this money emerged through actions that took a “shortcut” between poverty and riches, social immaturity and adult respectability” (p.141). This sums up the thesis of the entre chapter.
17. I find the chapter very compelling and tragic at the same time. For one, it reveals that wealth obtained through short-cuts will not last long. Secondly, the chapter discussion amplifies the time-honored principle that nothing beats hard work.
18. Chapter 5: Marriage, Madness, and the Unruly Rhythms of Respectability
19. The author argued that shortcut is not only employed by Samburu men with regard to wealth accumulation but also with regard to their achievement of social prestige and respectability. The author presented the case of Lekarda and his experience showed that rushing the process of gaining prestige and respectability could be disastrous and can lead to madness.
20. The central argument of the chapter is important as it amplifies the need for individuals to follow the natural way of wealth and prestige accumulation. Individuals should live based on how life naturally unfolds.
21. The content of the chapter is related to other class readings as it talks about the dynamics of social identity formation and how individuals negotiate his identity in relation to social structures and norms. This illustrates that individuals and their process of identity formation do not operate in isolation from the social environment. Societal expectations, economic context, and personal aspirations all shape the identity of a person.
22. The author argued that “madness served as a potent signifier of failure and cast a broad shadow” (p.183). This quote was chosen because it describes how madness, caused by short-cutting the process of achieving prestige and respectability, can ruin the life of Samburu men.
23. While this chapter tells the sad stories of Samburu men, I appreciate reading the chapter because I was able to uncover a number of themes and insights such as the concept of “social death” (p.183) or the condition in which society turns back on the person.

VII. Chapter 6: In a Ritual Rush: Crafting Belonging in Lopiro Ceremonies

1. The author claimed that lopiro ceremonies also serve as a means to achieve belongingness in northern Kenya. What is interesting in these ceremonies is that it encompasses adultery. The negative implication of the revelation of this component of the ceremony, however, is addressed by the exchange of commodities for sex. This illustrates how miserable the economic condition of the country is. Kenyans are willing to disregard the disrespect caused by the adulterous act for the provision of basic needs. Because the lopiro ceremonies forge clan unity, the rituals also facilitate identity formation and group inclusion. Unfortunately, the media tend to focus on the ethno-eroticity of the ritual rather than its social function.
2. The argument of the chapter is important as it tackles how rituals that serve social function are portrayed negatively as media only focuses on one aspect that is of human interest. This shows the profit-maximizing tendency of the media and media framing of Kenyan culture is founded on which aspect of the culture will generate human interest.
3. The insights from the chapter are related to the other class readings as it tackles how certain practices can affect identity formation. In the case of the Kenyans living in the northern part of the country, the ritual that influences identity formation is the lopiro ceremony. It facilitates the achieve of a sense of belonging, which is crucial to the development of self-concept of the people of Samburu.
4. The author claimed that “we may interpret the ritual gift exchange as a way of anchoring commodities in the homestead and mobilizing their imagined power to produce recognition and facilitate the process of belonging” (220). This quote shows how a sense of belonging can be provided by lopiro ceremonies.
5. I can say that of all the chapters of the book, this chapter has the richest anthropological examinations. The description of the author of the lopiro ceremonies is so vivid that readers can feel as though they are watching first-hand the lopiro ceremonies and the various interesting aspects of it.

VIII. Conclusion

1. The author concluded by arguing that the commodification of moran sexuality is a means for the poor Samburu men to negotiate with the external foreign world in order for their local world to continue to thrive. The economic condition of Northern Kenya makes sex trade a viable option. With limited economic opportunities, individuals are forced to become “beach boys” in order for them to uphold and perpetuate their cultural integrity.
2. The argument of the concluding chapter is relevant as it point to the fact that no matter how negatively perceived and portrayed prostitution is, it still performs an instrumental function that is essential for the development of a sense of community.
3. The chapter is related to other class readings as it relates the commodification of sexuality to economic survivability. If the economic condition is tough, individuals are forced to perceived socially unacceptable sources of income as the only viable options. In the case of the Samburu men, this option is prostitution. The fact that it is men who engage in prostitution also compels interest in reconsidering gender relation and how race and economic status can affect its dynamics.
4. The author remarked that the Kenyans are “oriented toward an outside world whose recognition and resources are necessary for the reproduction of their own local worlds” (p.240). This quote was chosen because it shows the instrumental function of commodification of sexuality.
5. The concluding chapter was compelling. It was able to summarize the views raised in the previous chapters. It also puts forward a potential research agenda that would focus on analysing the dynamics of gender relation. For the longest time, women have been perceived as the passive recipients of the hostile gender relation but in the case of Samburu men, they are the ones who are commodifying themselves for the sake of money.