Problems of Power in a Plural Society: Asians in Kenya

Abstract

Current theories of stratification in plural societies emphasize the cultural and social homogeneity of the major sections in these societies. Data collected on the Asian population in Kenya, however, suggest that a major section in this plural society is fragmented into a number of different communities. No institutional framework exists which effectively cuts across communal boundaries. Moreover, the nature of the social divisions within the various Asian communities in Kenya, as elsewhere in East Africa, favors the rise of leaders from the upper strata only, i.e., persons of high caste or high economic status or both.