Author Archives: hrmark15

Research Blog 10

Posted on December 15, 2017 by hrmark15

In addition to Williams and Hall, I will be incorporating Stoddard and Cornwell’s Cosmopolitan or mongrel? Créolité, hybridity and ‘douglarisation’ in Trinidad” and Homi Bhabha’s “The Location of Culture” to analyze the rise of Sheng in Nairobi. As Kenya’s history as … Continue reading →

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Research Blog 9

Posted on December 13, 2017 by hrmark15

This map, produced by BBC News in 2008, depicts the ethnic groups present in Kenya. During British colonial rule, the territory of modern Kenya was not determined with ethnic groups in mind, leaving the country with a wide range of … Continue reading →

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Research Blog 8

Posted on December 13, 2017 by hrmark15

As I discovered both during my time in Kenya and while conducting research on Sheng, the view of this slang language has shifted in recent years. While Sheng was largely referred to as a slum language, spoken by troubled Nairobi … Continue reading →

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Research Blog 7

Posted on December 9, 2017 by hrmark15

When thinking about theorists who relate to my case study, Raymond Williams’s discussion of hegemony and resistance first came to mind. In his “Base and superstructure in Marxist cultural theory,” Williams reflects on Gramsci’s work related to hegemony. He states, “we … Continue reading →

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Research Blog 6

Posted on December 6, 2017 by hrmark15

While researching English hegemony and colonial rule in Kenya, I came across the work of  Yukio Tsuda, a scholar I previously encountered in Communications classes. He discusses two main consequences of English hegemony in his article, “English Hegemony and English Divide”: … Continue reading →

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Café Discussion Entry 6

Posted on November 7, 2017 by hrmark15

As we more extensively discussed Bell Hooks’s article “Postmodern Blackness”  in class, we chose to focus our Cafe Discussion on “The Organization of Hate” by Sara Ahmed.  I began the discussion by mentioning Ahmed’s use of the term bodies throughout … Continue reading →

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Café Discussion Entry 3

Posted on October 22, 2017 by hrmark15

          McKenzie and I began our conversation by continuing our class group discussion on pages 74 and 75 of Michel Foucault’s Power/Knowledge. We looked at the relationship between a right of sovereignty and disciplinary mechanisms and … Continue reading →

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Research Blog 5

Posted on October 22, 2017 by hrmark15

While doing research, I came across two articles that discuss the hegemony of language and its influence on the rise of Sheng and the opposition it faces. As a nation previously colonized by the British, the ability to speak English … Continue reading →

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Research Blog 4

Posted on October 21, 2017 by hrmark15

What’s Good LIVE produces Sheng Talk videos, which largely consist of two interviewers speaking in Sheng with Nairobi youth about upcoming trends in fashion, transportation, music, the language Sheng itself, and even topics related to political corruption in Kenya. While … Continue reading →

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Research Blog 3

Posted on October 20, 2017 by hrmark15

In 2015, Nairobi News produced a special on their AM Live show called “The Anatomy of Sheng.” While the video switches between Sheng, Kiswahili, and English, the recaps of discussion are done in English. I found this video to be … Continue reading →

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