Councils and Chiefs, Monsters and Trees: Gikuyu Political Authority and Colonialism

Abstract In this paper, I will argue that in many histories “politics” is not restricted to processes of decision-making by human actors only in the interests of humans. Human societies may also include non-human entities in the political arena and build in limits to prevent “politics” from being reasoned solely from the perspective of human interests. During the colonial era, however, such thinking was re-evaluated through conceptual frameworks then prevalent in Europe and connected to stereotypes about African rule, focusing on one “chief”. This led to profound changes of the meanings of “politics” in colonised societies. I will take Gikuyu history in Central Kenya as a case study to further this argument.