F. Njoki Osotsi

Sociocultural Anthropology

Regional Focus: Kenya.

Topical interests: Gender, history, experiences and constructions of war.

My project focuses on the experiences of women fighters in the Mau Mau Forest Army. I investigate how gender as a social category within a particular cultural and historical context shapes the meanings, experiences and constructions of war.

Before coming to the United States, I worked in Kenya's Ministry of Finance, negotiating for development aid with donors. At the same time, I carried out independent studies of Gikuyu cultural institutions.

MA Paper: Singing History: An Analysis of Mau Mau War Songs

Publications

2003. A Bilingual Study of A Gikuyu Traditional Circumcision Song. New York: Edwin Mellen Press.