People and Parks: Pastoralism and Conservation in East Africa

DRC Sponsor: John Moeller

Luther College students, having just returned from their Paideia 450 trip to Tanzania, Africa will share their experiences with our club. The People and Parks: Pastoralism and Conservation in East Africa course of instruction examines the tensions between the national parks movement and pastoralist societies through the lens of the Maasai people of northern Tanzania and southern Kenya. Of particular interest is how wildlife conservation efforts and ecotourism have impacted the relationship of the Maasai to their environment, in turn causing rapid cultural change such as shifts from herding to agropastoralism and wage labor; modification of coming-of-age rituals; and increasing adoption of formal modes of education and Christianity in place of or alongside traditional modes and beliefs. From bases near the city of Arusha and the small town of Moduli, the students studied “traditional” Maasai culture and examined the ways in which the Maasai of northern Tanzania are adapting to changing social, political, economic, and environmental conditions.

In advance of this presentation, you may wish to follow along in real time with the students through their online blog. It is available to all by using the following link:

https://www.luther.edu/jtermblogs2018/sub-saharan-africa/tanzania/