African ethics : Gĩkũyũ traditional morality /
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African Ethics: Gĩkũyũ Traditional Morality by Hannah Kinoti was prompted by the author's concern about the decline of moral standards among the Gĩkũyũ in modern Kenya. Western education and increased interaction with other cultures had made the society more complex and sophisticated. At the same time, social evils like corruption, robbery, prostitution, broken homes and sexual promiscuity were on the increase. "While this is happening," says the author, "African culture is often referred to in the past tense as if it is no longer relevant." She wished to discover what were the virtues that, prior to the introduction of western civilization, held society together and formed the basis of its morality. She decided to examine some of the key virtues (honesty, generosity, justice, courage and temperance) that were highly valued in traditional Gĩkũyũ culture. She then compared the understanding and practice of these virtues by three groups: old people (who had had first-hand experience of traditional life), middle-aged people and young people. The results of this study should appeal to researchers and teachers of African traditions, culture, religion and ethics. Equally, students of comparative ethics should find this a valuable source of information on traditional ways of maintaining behaviour that made for harmony in society. Young Africans wishing to get a deeper understanding of their roots should also find this work of great interest.
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1 online resource (286 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 255-259) and index. :
9789042030893 :
0928-141X ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Bible and poverty in Kenya : an empirical exploration /
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Many strategies have been formulated to reduce poverty, the most recent being the need to include the poor as co-agents in the development process. Culture, understood as commonly shared values, then becomes an important element in poverty alleviation. Likewise religion becomes an important element of culture when the values of that religion are considered as widespread in the society. Additionally, political and economic factors are equally important for poverty alleviation. This work is centered on a conceptual model postulating that cultural attitudes influence attitudes towards ends of poverty alleviation directly and indirectly through political and economic attitudes. The study maps out the paths of influence of cultural (religious values), political and economic attitudes on those towards ends of poverty alleviation.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [201]-208) and index. :
9789047432692 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Pastors, partners, and paternalists : African church leaders and western missionaries in the Anglican Church in Kenya, 1850-1900 /
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A study tracing the relationships between missionaries and African Church workers in Kenya in the years 1850-1900, as missionaries increasingly adopted imperial assumptions of Western superiority. It tells the story of the first Anglican clergy in Kenya, their wives and colleagues; their rescue from slavery, their education in India and their subsequent work in East Africa. It demonstrates their contribution to the rapid growth of the Church and of indigenous Christian communities. Yet later missionaries were not willing to accord to the Africans the position they had a right to expect. The book recounts their protest and the development of a Church order. Similar events in West Africa have been documented, but this is the first time such a pattern in East Africa has been outlined.
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1 online resource (xii, 202 pages) : illustrations, maps. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-199) and index. :
9789004319974 :
0924-9389 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.