Informal Learning and Literacy among Maasai Women: Education, Emancipation and Empowerment

217 Pages·2019·2.011 MB·English

by  Taeko Takayanagi

Informal Learning and Literacy
among Maasai Women
Informal Learning and Literacy among Maasai Women highlights the importance
and role of informal education in the emancipation and development of
Maasai village women in Kenya. At present, knowledge and research on the
impact of informal learning and literacy on community development is
limited, and there is a gap between policy level discussions and women’s lived
experiences. Using a postcolonial feminist framework, this book sets out to
examine linkages between informal learning and literacy, human develop-
ment and gender inequality.
Despite improvements in recent years, access to traditional education
remains restricted for many women in rural communities across Kenya.
Takayanagi’s book is the first to introduce how Maasai village women utilise
informal learning and literacy for collective empowerment as well as to sustain
their own well- being and that of their families. It presents the perspectives of
both local women and institutions and argues that women’s learning is most
effective when located within their own socio- cultural and political dis-
courses, and when their voices are listened to and heard.
This ethnographic research study is a valuable resource that will contribute
to the knowledge of literacy from both theoretical and practical perspectives.
It is an essential read for those studying or researching information education,
development studies and gender, or education, as well as for teachers, com-
munity leaders and aid workers.
Taeko Takayanagi is a JSPS Research Fellow at Waseda University in
Tokyo, Japan. She received her PhD in Education from the University of
Sydney and her MA in Education from the University of Manchester.
Routledge Research in International and Comparative
Education
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Maureen F. Park
50 Years of US Study Abroad Students
Japan as the Gateway to Asia and Beyond
Sarah R. Asada
Informal Learning and Literacy among Maasai Women
Education, Emancipation and Empowerment
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Parental Involvement Across European Education Systems
Critical Perspectives
Edited by Angelika Paseka and Delma Byrne
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Informal Learning and
Literacy among
Maasai Women
Education, Emancipation and
Empowerment
Taeko Takayanagi
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2020 Taeko Takayanagi
The right of Taeko Takayanagi to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or
other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing- in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data
Names: Takayanagi, Taeko, author.
Title: Informal learning and literacy among Maasai women :
education, emancipation and empowerment / Taeko Takayanagi.
Other titles: Power of informal learning and literacy for women in the
Maasai community, Kenya
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2020. |
Revision of author’s thesis (doctoral)–University of Sydney, 2017,
titled: The power of informal learning and literacy for women in the
Maasai community, Kenya. | Includes bibliographical references. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2019020449 (print) | LCCN 2019981538 (ebook)
| ISBN 9781138609907 (hardback) | ISBN 9780429465970 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Women, Maasai–Education. | Maasai (African
people)–Education–Kenya. | Non-formal education–Kenya.
Classification: LCC DT433.545.M33 T34 2020 (print) | LCC
DT433.545.M33 (ebook) | DDC 371.822089/965522606762–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019020449
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019981538
ISBN: 978-1-138-60990-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-46597-0 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
I dedicate this study to Ryuichi, Rihito and my late
daughter Hikari.
I credit many “Mamas” in Narok and those I have
worked with for inspiring and encouraging me to work
for international education and development.
I appreciate my Kenyan Mamas, Ms. Florence
Kamau and Ms. Elizabeth Ndilai, for teaching me
about Kenya as well as their great care for me during
my fieldwork in the village in Narok.

Contents
List of illustrations x
Foreword xi
Acknowledgements xvii
List of abbreviations xviii
Glossary xx
Introduction: exploring the notion of informal
learning and literacy from a Maasai woman’s
perspective 1
1 Postcolonial feminist theory 9
Introduction 9
Postcolonial theory 11
Postcolonial feminism 18
Conclusion 21
2 Women’s informal learning and empowerment in the
context of development 26
Introduction 26
Informal learning and adult literacy in development 26
Women’s informal learning in Africa 31
Literacy and the impact of literacy on women’s well- being 33
New literacies: literacy from a socio-c ultural perspective 36
Women’s empowerment and agency in international development 40
Conclusion 47
3 Using an ethnographic research framework 56
Introduction 56
Feminist research 57
viii Contents
Womanism – African feminism? 59
Establishing rapport and positioning myself 62
Data collection in the field 63
Data analysis 71
Ethical considerations 72
Conclusion 73
4 Socio- cultural background of the Maasai in Kenya 77
Introduction 77
Historical background of Kenya after independence from Britain 77
Government initiatives to improve education and people’s well- being 78
Policy of adult and continuing education and women’s development in
Kenya 79
Maasai women’s situation in Narok County 81
Conclusion 85
5 Narratives and process observation of village women 90
Introduction 90
Background of the research site: the village where I stayed 91
Narratives of village women 92
Analysis and discussions of the village women’s narratives 101
Village women’s voices on learning/literacy and well- being 113
Process observation 114
Conclusion 126
6 Interview analysis of women’s group leaders and
bureaucrats 133
Introduction 133
Narrative of women’s group leaders 134
Analysis and discussions of the women’s group leaders’ narratives 139
The impact of women’s group activities on well- being 146
The concept of literacy from a women’s group leaders’ perspective 148
Opinions about women’s situation in the community and overcoming
women’s inequality 150
Narratives of government and NGO officers 152
Analysis and discussions of the government and NGO officers’
narratives 156
The concept of literacy from a government officer’s perspective: how do
they see ‘literacy’? 160
Conclusion 162
Contents ix
7 Conclusion 168
Introduction 168
Postcolonial feminist analysis: the significance of women’s voices 169
Postcolonial feminist theory and informal learning and literacy in the
context of international development 172
Discussion and implications of the findings 173
Women’s informal learning/literacy and its impact on improving their
well- being 173
Women’s roles in improving well- being in their community 176
Women in Narok: changes in agency through the process of
empowerment 178
Recommendations to the government, aid agencies, NGOs and future
researchers 180
Directions for future research 184
Conclusion 185
Index 189