ILCAA Joint Research Project

Global Youth Dynamics and ‘reality’ negotiation in Eastern Africa (jrp000272)

About the Project

Project term: April, 2021–March, 2024

  This project employs an ethnographic approach to explore how African youths are trying to build their careers while negotiating their surrounding “reality” and attempting to put future plans into practice. In African countries where growth, tourism, ICT, and higher education are advancing (partly due to recent educational policies), young people disobey traditional authority and seek freedom in the vast opportunities offered through contact with foreigners beyond Africa’s boarders. With the shrinking of the globe facilitated by expanding information networks, young people have to deal with dynamic problems in an opportunistic and situational manner. By describing and analyzing young Africans’ “current” perceptions and practices, we will clarify the dynamics of young people in eastern Africa in the global era.

Members

Coordinator

• Wakana SHIINO

ILCAA Staff

• Daiske SHINAGAWA

Joint Researchers

• Midori DAIMON
• Seera GEORGINA
• Takuya HAGIWARA
• Keiya HANABUCHI
• Eri HASHIMOTO
• Ian KARUSIGARIRA
• Laban Kithinji KINYUA
• Yukiko KONDO
• Isao MURAHASHI
• Takuma OTANI
• Soichiro SHIRAISHI

Outputs

Meetings

The 11th meeting

• Date/Time: Wed 6 Mar 2024 10:00–18:00
• Venue: 302, online meeting
• Language: English
• Organized by ILCAA

• 10:00–

  Meeting for publication of Japanese results

  13:00–

  Presentation1 Karusigarira Ian (GRIPS/ Joint researcher)

  “University Students’ Activism in Uganda: Culture, the State, and Prospects”

  Presentation2 Soichiro Shiraishi (Hirosaki University/ Joint researcher)

  “Route to Makerere Hill: University Access from a Rural Area in Contemporary Uganda”

International Symposium 'Global Youth Dynamics and 'Reality' Negotiation in East Africa and South Asia: Gender, Diversity, Agency'/ The 10th meeting

• Date/Time: Sat 18 Nov 2023– Sun 19 Nov 2023 10:30–18:00
• Venue: Medium Conference Room at the Administration Building, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
• Language: English
• Jointly sponsored by ILCAA, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) “Youth Strategies and Social Transformation under Uncertainty in South Asia” (Project number: 21H03715), TUFiSCo
• Supported by African Studies Center - TUFS

• 【Theme】

  This symposium focuses on youth ethnographically and seeks to examine, with an intersectional lens, how young people, in Eastern Africa and South Asia, understand their social world through their multiple identities -gender, caste, region, language, and nation - as well as their individual aspirations, desires, and choices. It also seeks to compare the structural factors that act as barriers to their mobility as well as identify the strategies and pathways that individuals develop for change. Through such an approach that focuses on both structure and agency, we aim to arrive at a broader understanding of the issues at hand in vastly different terrains and social communities. The symposium seeks to address some pertinent questions: How do patriarchy, kinship, lack of (higher) education, unemployment, insecurity, and social and cultural inequalities common to these regions confront young people? How do they cope with the complexities and challenges they may encounter in their diverse social and cultural contexts? What forces compel them to make difficult choices for change? What new forms does their agency take? We are especially interested in contributions that focus on gender, religion, and diversity with particular attention to agency. The diverse geographical sites and socio-political contexts will enrich our understanding of the themes through multiple social and regional perspectives. We hope this symposium will further enable us to arrive at a nuanced understanding of youth in diverse settings and provide a comparative background to anthropological youth studies.

  【Program】※ Each Presentation 30mins + Questions and Answers for 10mins.
  

  DAY 1 (Saturday, Nov. 18th)

  11:00–12:30 Casual Lunch Meeting (mainly for Young Scholars including Graduate Students)
  12:30–13:00 Registration
  13:00–13:10 Opening Remarks & Introduction (Wakana Shiino & Kazuyo Minamide)
  13:10–13:50 Prof. Marie Lall: The Effects of Hindu Nationalism on Indian Universities; Students in the Eye of the Storm
  13:50–14:30 Dr. Jane Dyson: The Contradictions of Prefigurative Politics: Rajput Young Women’s Everyday Activism in Himalayan India
  14:30–14:40 Tea Break
  14:40–15:20 Dr. Nirmala Ranasinghe: Can Tourism be a Powerful Life Strategy?: Through the Narratives of Young Men in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka
  15:20–16:00 Mr. Takuya Hagiwara: Is Competitive Sport a Career-building Force for Kenyan Youth?: Structured Athletic Environment and Dynamics of Embodied Agency for Social Mobility
  16:00–16:40 Dr. Kinyua Laban Kithinji: Contesting the State? Digital Media Platforms as Spaces of Refuge, Safety Nets, and Justice-Seeking in Kenya
  16:40–16:50 Tea Break
  16:50–17:10 Comments by Discussants
  (South Asia) Prof. Fumiko Oshikawa, Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University
  (Africa)　Dr. Eri Hashimoto, Associate Professor, Rikkyo University
  18:00– Dinner

  DAY 2 (Sunday, Nov. 19th)

  9:40–10:00 (Venue Open)
  10:00–10:40 Dr. Piotr Cichocki: The Reality Negotiations in the Collaborative Process of Local Music Making. The Case of Youth from Mzuzu, Malawi
  10:40–11:20 Dr. Constance Mudondo: Navigating Market Terrain as Novices: Empowering Female Young Graduates of a Tailoring Course in Uganda
  11:20–11:30 Coffee Break
  11:30–12:10 Dr. Tomoyuki Chaya: Urban Slum Youth and the Significance of Secondary Education in Contemporary India: Cultivation of Perception of Self-image
  12:10–13:30 LUNCH
  13:30–14:10 Dr. Wakana Shiino: Female 'Youth' ‘s Choice for Their Survival: Being a Housegirl in Kenya or the Middle East
  14:10–14:50 Dr. Kazuyo Minamide: “Probashir Bou (Migrant's Wives)” in a Rural Bangladesh Village: Waiting and Recreating New Family Lives
  14:50–15:00 Coffee Break
  15:00–15:20 Comments by Discussants
  (Africa) Dr. Soichiro Shiraishi, Associate Professor, Hirosaki University
  (South Asia) Prof. Tatsuya Yamamoto, Professor, Shizuoka University
  15:20–16:00 General Discussion for two days
  16:00–16:10 Closing Remarks
  

  【Presenters】

  South Asia

  Prof. Marie Lall: Professor and Chair of Education and South Asian Studies at the UCL Institute of Education

  Dr. Jane Dyson: Associate Professor in Human Geography, School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne

  Dr. Nirmala Ranasinghe: Associate Professor, Faculty of Regional Creation, Nara Prefectural University

  Dr. Tomoyuki Chaya: Lecturer, Graduate School of Education, Hyogo University of Teacher Education

  Dr. Kazuyo Minamide: Associate Professor, Department of English, Kobe College

  Africa

  Mr. Takuya Hagiwara: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences, Toyo University

  Dr. Kinyua Laban Kithinji: Researcher, Institute of Asian Cultures, Sophia University

  Dr. Piotr Cichocki: Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw

  Dr. Constance Mudondo: Lecturer, Makerere University

  Dr. Wakana Shiino: Associate Professor, Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies

  For details, please see here.

The 9th meeting

• Date/Time: Sun 18 Jun 2023 13:30–16:30
• Venue: 302, online meeting
• Language: English
• Jointly sponsored by ILCAA, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (Principal Investigator: Wakana SHIINO (ILCAA) Project Number: 22H00769)

• 1. Laban Kithinji KINYUA (ILCAA Joint Researcher, Sophia University/TUFS)

  “Digital Media Platforms as Spaces of Refuge, Safety Nets, and Seeking Justice in Kenya”

  2. Wakana SHIINO (ILCAA)

  “Women going to the Middle East: the recent condition of 'housegirls' in Kenya”

  Moderator: Wakana SHIINO

The 8th meeting

• Date/Time: Sat 3 Dec 2022 13:00–16:30
• Venue: 302, online meeting
• Language: English
• Jointly sponsored by ILCAA, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (Principal Investigator: Wakana SHIINO (ILCAA) Project Number: 22H00769)

• 1. Yukiko KONDO (ILCAA Joint Researcher, Kyoto University)

  “Never do we return to the hill” : youth livelihoods and memories of violence in post-genocide Rwanda

  2. Seera GEORGINA (ILCAA Joint Researcher, Kyoto University)

  “Skinny girls, fat women: the dynamics of obesity in urban Uganda”

  Moderator: Wakana SHIINO (ILCAA)

The 7th meeting

• Date/Time: Sun 13 Nov 2022 14:00–17:00
• Venue: 302, online meeting
• Language: English
• Jointly sponsored by ILCAA, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (Principal Investigator: Wakana SHIINO (ILCAA) Project number: 22H00769)

• 1. Eri HASHIMOTO (ILCAA Joint Researcher, Rikkyo University)

  “To be, or not to be a “real man” : Tactical agency of the Nuer youths in post-conflict society of South Sudan”

  2. Tom ONDICHO (ILCAA Visiting Researcher, University of Nairobi)

  “Virtual learning as an opportunity for the youth to side hustle: The case of Students at the University of Nairobi, Kenya.”

  Moderator: Wakana SHIINO (ILCAA)

The 6th meeting

• Date/Time: Sat 23 Jul 2022 14:00–17:00
• Venue: online meeting
• Language: English
• Organized by ILCAA

• 1. Mwanika Kassim (Gulu University)

  “Permits of Punishment: A tale of Formalizing Informal Processes of Sugarcane Farming on Youth Livelihoods in Uganda”.

  2. Constance Mudondo (Makerere University)

  “Negotiating livelihoods in complex contexts: Young people's experiences in transboundary conflict zones in Eastern Uganda”.

The 5th meeting

• Date/Time: Sun 12 Jun 2022 14:00–17:00
• Venue: Room 303, ILCAA/ online meeting
• Language: English
• Jointly sponsored by ILCAA Joint Research Project “Global Youth Dynamics and ‘reality’ negotiation in Eastern Africa”, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) “The study of ‘Cohabitat family’ with elite single and house girl in the cities of East African countries” (Principal Investigator: Wakana SHIINO (ILCAA) Project Number: 17K02002)

• 1. Iaso MURAHASHI (ILCAA Joint Researcher, Shizuoka Prefectural University)

  “Exploring a sense of belonging and community: Refugee youth in Kakuma Refugee Camp”

  2. Enos Kitambo (Makerere University)

  “Politics, Youth Entrepreneurship, and Empowerment in Developing Countries” (tentative)

The 4th meeting

• Date/Time: Sat 26 Feb 2022 14:00–17:30
• Venue: Room 303, ILCAA/ online meeting
• Language: English
• Jointly sponsored by ILCAA Joint Research Project “Global Youth Dynamics and ‘reality’ negotiation in Eastern Africa”，Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) “The study of ‘Cohabitat family’ with elite single and house girl in the cities of East African countries” (Principal Investigator: Wakana SHIINO (ILCAA) Project Number: 17K02002)

• 1. Takuya HAGIWARA (ILCAA Joint Researcher, Kyoto University)

  “Becoming a Self-reliant Man Through Their Experiences in the Athletic Group: The Case of Kenyan Youth in Competitive Cycling”

  2. Rebecca BABIRYE (Tokyo Christian University)

  “Neither Here nor There: Exploring East African Youth in Flux”

The 3rd meeting

• Date/Time: Sat 20 Nov 2021 14:00–17:00
• Venue: Room 304, ILCAA/ online meeting
• Language: English
• Jointly sponsored by ILCAA Joint Research Project “Global Youth Dynamics and ‘reality’ negotiation in Eastern Africa”，Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) “The study of ‘Cohabitat family’ with elite single and house girl in the cities of East African countries” (Principal Investigator: Wakana SHIINO (ILCAA) Project Number: 17K02002)

• 1. Kinyua Laban Kithinji (ILCAA Joint Researcher, Sophia University)

  “Towards a Political Ethnography of Digital Media Platforms in Rural Africa: Theoretical Underpinnings”

  2. Midori DAIMON (ILCAA Joint Researcher, Hokkaido University)

  “Music and Education: How Karaoke Makes Ugandan Youth Open their World” (tentative)

The 2nd meeting

• Date/Time: Sat 31 Jul 2021 13:00–16:00
• Venue: Room 304, ILCAA/ online meeting
• Language: English
• Jointly sponsored by ILCAA Joint Research Project “Global Youth Dynamics and ‘reality’ negotiation in Eastern Africa”，Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) “The study of ‘Cohabitat family’ with elite single and house girl in the cities of East African countries” (Principal Investigator: Wakana SHIINO (ILCAA) Project Number: 17K02002)

• 1. Keiya HANABUCHI (ILCAA Joint Researcher, Hokkaido Medical University)

  “Migration and Solidarity: Comorian Youth Diaspora in Transnational Social Space”

  2. Takuma OTANI (ILCAA Joint Researcher, Graduate School of Kyoto University)

  “Formation of group norms and maintenance of order by voluntary organizations for motorcycle taxi drivers in urban Uganda” (tentative)

  Moderator: Wakana SHIINO (ILCAA)

The 1st meeting

• Date/Time: Sat 12 Jun 2021 13:00–16:00
• Venue: Online meeting
• Language: English, Japanese
• Jointly sponsored by ILCAA Joint Research Project “Global Youth Dynamics and ‘reality’ negotiation in Eastern Africa”，Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) “The study of ‘Cohabitat family’ with elite single and house girl in the cities of East African countries” (Principal Investigator: Wakana SHIINO (ILCAA) Project Number: 17K02002)

• 1. Wakana SHIINO (ILCAA)

  Introduction

  2. All members of this project

  “The condition of Youths in my field: concerning this project”

  3. All members

  Bibliography on African Youths studies

Related events

【TUFiSCo-ILCAA International Symposium】Sexuality in Contemporary Africa: Tradition, Education and Practices

• Date/Time: Sat 28 Jan 2023– Sun 29 Jan 2023 9:00–19:00
• Venue: 303, Online meeting
• Language: English
• Jointly sponsored by TUFS Field Science Commons (TUFiSCo), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (Principal Investigator: Wakana SHIINO (ILCAA) Project Number: 22H00769), Field Science Center (FSC), African Studies Center, TUFS

• Theme Abstract:

  Despite the international development organizations’ efforts toward mitigation of learner single motherhood, early pregnancies, and HIV prevalence among societies in Africa, these issues have remained persistently incremental in the last one decade and more recently worsened during COVID-19 pandemic. Menstrual poverty and related WASH problems remain systemic. What explains this trend? Prior to colonial invasion, sexuality was central to every society whereby the family was the educational pivot. The events that followed colonial occupation repositioned the sexuality values toward ‘presumed modernity’. The transitioning from the traditional to the ‘presumed modern’ practices has mutated into dynamic between-ness. In this symposium, we ethnographically interrogate this between-ness and associated complications. We tackle the sensitivities of sexuality in some societies and address the cultural, religious, and political dimensions of sexual education and practices. We identify the existential gaps in the sexual education in the life cycle of a ‘presumed modern African’ society.

  For details, please see here.

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