Being Maasai, becoming Indigenous – book reviews

We cannot post the book itself but we can post a couple of reviews of Dorothy Hodgson’s book Being Maasai, becoming Indigenous: postcolonial politics in a neoliberal world. (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2011, 288 pp, ISBN-13: 978–0253223050).

This review, written by Stephanie Irlbacher-Fox, was published in the journal Pastoralism: Research Policy and Practice 2: 27 (2012): Review of Being Maasai, Becoming Indigenous: postcolonial politics in a neoliberal world by Dorothy Hodgson

“Shaped largely by neoliberal global aid/development forces, in a context of internal colonialism, Indigenous pastoralist Maasai have turned to international fora to press for recognition and action to support their collective social and political goals. In this book, renowned anthropologist Dorothy Hodgson offers a detailed ethnohistorical investigation of why and how Maasai of Tanzania first sought then eventually abandoned a rights recognition strategy premised on being identified as Indigenous within international / United Nations fora as a venue for pursuing their goals….”

Here is the pdf of the review.

Another review was published by Elliot Fratkin in H-Net Reviews in the Humanities and Social Sciences:

“Dorothy Hodgson’s Being Maasai, becoming Indigenous is a comprehensive study of “indigenous” nongovernmental organizations among the Maasai of Tanzania. The book reflects the author’s extensive research among Maasai communities and offers important insights about civil society, the role of local NGOs and their international sponsors, and problems faced by local minority groups seeking economic and political justice vis-à-vis the larger national state. This book traces how Maasai organizations developed and transformed from groups that used the “indigenous” label based on their public recognition as “traditional pastoralists,” into active members of civil society seeking economic justice and political recognition from their national government…”

This review can be found here.

 

Posted on 2 January 2023 in Pastoralism, Policy & Power