Pastoralism and Pastoralist Children in East Africa

Pastoralist groups in East Africa inhabit arid and semi-arid lands, historically sustaining their livelihoods through high mobility of both herds and humans. They flexibly adopt other subsistence strategies to overcome spatiotemporal difficulties. Rich ethnographic documentation on these groups frequently mentions children, highlighting the significant roles that children play in local labor division and their contribution to family subsistence and positive changes in their societies. This chapter provides an overview of Maasailand, its social institutions, and local livelihood changes. By reviewing existing studies on pastoralist groups in East Africa, the chapter also outlines the parenting ethnotheories and practices commonly observed in these groups as well as local positioning of childhood and child development within these evolving contexts.