Paper short abstract:

The study of age(ing) in East African pastoralist societies has mainly been confined to structures of 'age-set systems'. In this study I seek to explore ageing outside of the age-set systems by focusing more on individual life histories and, generally, shared narratives on the process of ageing.

Paper long abstract:

The study of age(ing) in East African pastoralist societies has mainly been confined to structures of 'age-set systems'. In this study I seek to explore ageing outside of the age-set systems by focusing more on individual life histories and, generally, shared narratives on the process of ageing. The central transformation that I will examine here is a shift away from age-set system as the key site of aging to the changing concepts of aging by focusing on local relationships between elders and 'youth' with specific attention to livestock herding among the Boran of northern Kenya. In the 'traditional' setting, certain age grades are tasked with the responsibility of herding; in the context of urbanization and general social change, education, white collar jobs and odd jobs in the towns are competing with the more traditional livestock rearing for youthful labour. With a youth that is apparently disenchanted with livestock herding and who are more attracted to white collar jobs and urban lifestyle and elders who are steeped in 'tradition' and embedded in livestock production, how is the relationship between the two groups being reconfigured? In responding to this foundational question, I seek to tease out the general changes in the age-set systems and the process of ageing through a life-course approach. I draw on archival material, Life history interviews, participant observation in the villages, grazing areas and Marsabit town in this study. I argue that the continued reliance and romanticisation of age-set systems tends to gloss over fundamental social and demographic changes as far as aging is concerned.