The Social Context of the Mau Mau Movement in Kenya (1952-1960)

The Social Context of the Mau Mau Movement in Kenya (1952-1960) explores the social climate that united different clans and ethnic groups and sustained the Mau Mau Movement. Through analysis of ＂Social Movement＂ literature, historical accounts, and a first-hand narrative from Muigai Kanyua, a fighter in the Mau Mau forest for at least three years, this new work explores a relatively unexamined aspect of the Mau Mau movement.

Kinuthia Macharia, a native of Kenya, is Professor of Sociology at American University and previously taught at Harvard University. He was honored with a Distinguished Faculty Award from American University in 2004. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of Social and Political Dynamics of the Urban Informal Economy in African Cities: Harare and Nairobi also from University Press of America. Professor Macharia is an active participant in academic conferences and forums on African and sociological issues and has contributed numerous articles to the scholarly discourse.The late Muigai Kanyua was a member of the Muranga Mau Mau fighters in the Nyandarua forest ridges for nearly three years. He chronicled his experiences in his native tongue Kikuyu. Kinuthia Macharia translated Muigai Kanyua’s narrative for inclusion in this work.