Anthropology Research Papers/Topics

Museums, intangible cultural heritage, and changing societies: The Ber gi dala exhibition and cultural heritage preservation at the Kisumu museum, Kenya

Abstract/Overview The aim of this article is to give an account of the Ber gi dala exhibition at the Kisumu Museum, Kenya. It focuses on the customs, traditional buildings, and intangible cultural heritage of one of the major tribal groups in Kenya, the Luo. The development and use of this innovative exhibition, insofar as it recreates traditional Luo homesteads is first analysed. The exhibition's relevance in the framework for preserving and interpreting intangible cultural heritage is t...

Exploration of food culture in Kisumu: A socio-cultural perspective

Abstract/Overview Increasingly food culture in the context of socio-cultural dimension is becoming important for sustainable urban development. In the last four years food festivals have been held in Kisumu attracting several interests both from within and without the City. The Kisumu fish night event of 2013 marked the melting point of food culture in Kisumu. This paper thus explores the noble intention of integrating food culture in Kisumu as a socio-cultural capital for the advancement...

Semiotic based framework for the development of indigenous knowledge systems

Abstract: Indigenous cultures have encountered a renaissance throughout the years; this made indigenous groups to perceive the significance of recording and sharing their social legacy and history. However, the absence of procedural framework that can manage, formalize, preserve and disseminate Indigenous knowledge has become a problem in the modelling of indigenous knowledge management systems (IKMS). This research demonstrates an analytical framework using Ontologies and Semiotic Theory to...

Presenting the ‘Structured and Annotated Participantdriven Appraisal’ technique in Ethnography: Towards the universal realization of Multivocality in Ethnographic studies

This paper begins by tracing the history of Ethnography and Ethnographic studies over the course of the past few centuries, and reviews existing approaches and techniques used in the field of Ethnography with a view to ascertain their salient features, strengths and possible lacunae and limitations. This paper also traces the methods used in the field of Anthropology from the very early days, and reviews the most current and uptodate techniques in the field of Anthropology such as Development...

Generic Identity Theory for the Twenty-first Century: Towards grand unified approaches in identity formation, identity transformation and identity dilution or neutralization

This paper proposes a generalized and a universal approach towards collective and individual identity formation, and one which is expected to work in practically every conceivable scenario across cultures. Our approach also has at its core, the concept of the ‘Psychic unity of mankind’ which implies that human thought processes, urges and impulses are essentially the same in all cultures and societies, though the nature of enculturation may vary from context to context. This approach work...

CONCEPT OF HARMONISING FORCES: A CRITICAL LOOK AT TOOL MAKING, LANGUAGE, AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE FROM THE ANTIQUITY OF MAN TILL DATE.

 INTRODUCTION: With cogitation to the course and in revealing the similarities and relationship of the early men i.e zijanthropus , Australopithecus, homo habilis,  erectus and modern man, homo sapiens, it is expedient to give an insight into the nature of their survival techniques (using various tools) social interaction and also means of communication amongst them.Wegh (2005): sees culture as “A symbol through which communication is made”. Communication emanates through languages whi...