pre-colonial purification. It shows the delicate entanglements between oathing,
environment, water, and cleansing in Kenya.
Research Methodology & Approach
This section explores the methodology and approaches used in this
dissertation in two parts. The first is the method of analysis, and the second part
examines the approaches associated with field and archival work.
Method OfAnaIysis: Object Analysis
Mau Mau is analyzed by focusing on the oath as the object of analysis.
This method provides an opportunity to view Mau Mau from a different
perspective and allows for the exploration of the structures and relationships
associated with oathing which can be examined over time. Due to the complexity
of the oath as a system that changes over time, this work uses design software
that will visually depict how these items worked together around the oath. This
method of analysis allows a unique interpretation of oathing during Mau Mau and
how it evolved from oaths of the past. As an object of analysis, oathing is treated
and analyzed as a dynamic and complex system of processes, relationships, and
structures. This approach shifts the dialogue from the controversy that
historically occurred between the British and Kenyans to the activity of the oath.
Similarly, in chapter seven an oath model is presented in order to explain
the complexity of the purification-oath relationship. In this case, the analysis
shows the entanglements between various systems of oathing and purification,
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