Using as a point of departure Max Weber's concept of the "iron cage" of capitalism and Marcel Mauss' notions of reciprocity, along with more recent works of China-Africa relations, this study aims to counter dominant Western narratives that frame China as a neocolonial power and suggests some explanations as to why such narratives gain so much traction in international circles. Such narratives are provided support by comparisons with the European colonization of Africa, but often fail to take into account the differences in China's foreign policies, as well as the potential for growth and development allowed by Chinese engagement. This study focuses on how these narratives take shape within the context of the author's field work in Nairobi, Kemya among local Kenyans and Chinese ex-pats. Ultimately, the study finds that Sino-Kenyan interpersonal relations remain strained as a result of unbalanced reciprocation in various forms of exchange, which are viewed by many Kenyans through the lens of these dominant narratives as being representative of an inherently "Chinese" characteristic of greediness and asociality.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-325078 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Ståhlkrantz, Nils |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för kulturantropologi och etnologi |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | Masteruppsatser i kulturantropologi, 1653-2244 ; 70 |
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