The power of youth
Instead of attempting to understand “young people” and “youth” through categories considered universal, it seems more fruitful to examine local productions of age categories. Among the Samburu—pastoralists of northern Kenya, where age is the foundation of individual categorisation and of an egalitar...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | fra |
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Laboratoire d'Ethnologie et de Sociologie Comparative
2020-01-01
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| Series: | Ateliers d'Anthropologie |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ateliers/12728 |
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| author | Giordano Marmone |
| author_facet | Giordano Marmone |
| author_sort | Giordano Marmone |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Instead of attempting to understand “young people” and “youth” through categories considered universal, it seems more fruitful to examine local productions of age categories. Among the Samburu—pastoralists of northern Kenya, where age is the foundation of individual categorisation and of an egalitarian sociopolitical organisation—youth is “non-existent,” and political authority is among the skills instilled early through training, in the same way as economic tasks. In the very particular context of musical training and the rivalries it provokes for the position of soloist, leadership skills stand out in certain cases. Musical activity, with its ability to bring distinguished personalities to light from before the age of circumcision, occupies a very central place in this power-assertion process at the individual level. As a member of a society sometimes characterised as “gerontocratic,” the Samburu young person actually appears to be the protagonist of a self-generated process of personal political authority creation, much earlier than previously imagined. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2145f3d205c34062b54d669d14bbe1f3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2117-3869 |
| language | fra |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Laboratoire d'Ethnologie et de Sociologie Comparative |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ateliers d'Anthropologie |
| spelling | doaj-art-2145f3d205c34062b54d669d14bbe1f32025-01-30T13:42:11ZfraLaboratoire d'Ethnologie et de Sociologie ComparativeAteliers d'Anthropologie2117-38692020-01-014710.4000/ateliers.12728The power of youthGiordano MarmoneInstead of attempting to understand “young people” and “youth” through categories considered universal, it seems more fruitful to examine local productions of age categories. Among the Samburu—pastoralists of northern Kenya, where age is the foundation of individual categorisation and of an egalitarian sociopolitical organisation—youth is “non-existent,” and political authority is among the skills instilled early through training, in the same way as economic tasks. In the very particular context of musical training and the rivalries it provokes for the position of soloist, leadership skills stand out in certain cases. Musical activity, with its ability to bring distinguished personalities to light from before the age of circumcision, occupies a very central place in this power-assertion process at the individual level. As a member of a society sometimes characterised as “gerontocratic,” the Samburu young person actually appears to be the protagonist of a self-generated process of personal political authority creation, much earlier than previously imagined.https://journals.openedition.org/ateliers/12728musicyouthauthoritypoliticseldersSamburu |
| spellingShingle | Giordano Marmone The power of youth Ateliers d'Anthropologie music youth authority politics elders Samburu |
| title | The power of youth |
| title_full | The power of youth |
| title_fullStr | The power of youth |
| title_full_unstemmed | The power of youth |
| title_short | The power of youth |
| title_sort | power of youth |
| topic | music youth authority politics elders Samburu |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ateliers/12728 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT giordanomarmone thepowerofyouth AT giordanomarmone powerofyouth |