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Composing Civil Society: Ethnographic Contingency, NGO Culture, and Music Production in Nairobi, Kenya Matthew Mcnamara Morin

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Composing Civil Society: Ethnographic Contingency, NGO Culture, and Music Production in Nairobi, Kenya Matthew Mcnamara Morin Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2012 Composing Civil Society: Ethnographic Contingency, NGO Culture, and Music Production in Nairobi, Kenya Matthew McNamara Morin Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC COMPOSING CIVIL SOCIETY: ETHNOGRAPHIC CONTINGENCY, NGO CULTURE, AND MUSIC PRODUCTION IN NAIROBI, KENYA By MATTHEW MCNAMARA MORIN A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2012 Copyright © 2012 Matthew McNamara Morin All Rights Reserved Matthew McNamara Morin defended this dissertation on November 6, 2012. The members of the supervisory committee were: Frank Gunderson Professor Directing Dissertation Ralph Brower University Representative Michael B. Bakan Committee Member Douglass Seaton Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii To my father, Charles Leon Morin. I miss our conversations more than ever these days. Through teaching, you made a positive difference in so many lives. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I thank my wife and soul mate, Shino Saito. From coursework to prospectus, to a working fieldwork honeymoon in Nairobi, through the seemingly endless writing process to which you contributed countless proofreads and edits, you were an integral contributor to anything good within this text. I am looking forward to the wonderful years ahead with our new family member, and I hope to show the same support for you that you have shown me. I could never have imagined that I would be lucky enough to to have someone like you in my life. I owe a very large debt of gratitude to all the friends, professional acquaintances, and advisers who assisted me during my fieldwork in Kenya. Thank you to Dr. Leonard Mjomba, his wife Maria, and his whole family who provided a crash course in the logistics of life in Kenya. From matatus to manners, Professor Mjomba was a sage and mentor. To Humphrey Ojwang, my esteemed in-country academic advisor at Nairobi University, with your insight, guidance, and connections to so many of the individuals featured in this dissertation, every day of fieldwork was filled with new adventures and amazing developments. To Tabu Osusa and the whole Ketebul team, you inspired us every day we spent with you. I hope this document will stand as a testament to the legacy that is Tabu Osusa. A special thanks to Steve Kivutia for graciously providing the sort of cultural consultancies that only someone of your insight, experience, and position could provide. I don't know what we would have done without you. Thank you to all the Ketebul musicians and staff for answering my endless questions and allowing us to loiter and video record all those days at the studio. Patrick Ondiek, Jesse Bukindu, Willie Gachuche, Makadem, Olith Ratego, Priscah Wairimu Nyambura, were immensely helpful in this regard. An especially big debt of gratitude is also owed to Samba Mapangala and his manager, CC Smith. Samba, you are an indomitable musical force and legacy. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for spending time with us and answering our questions. CC Smith, thank you for all of your input, expertise, and logistical support arranging for us to interview Samba. We hope to honor your hard work here and throughout the years to come. To my ingenious advisors at Florida State University, how can I ever repay you? Dr. Michael B. Bakan, your boundless energy and brilliance keeps me striving for new directions in ethnomusicological research. You are always growing and changing. Dr. Douglass Seaton, you iv have become a role model educator and scholar to me. The selfless efficiency with which you operate is a blueprint for participation in academia that I will forever aim to manifest. Dr. Benjamin Koen, you have taught me to always seek the essence of life and remain in a state of play with the rules and norms of this world, regardless of profession or rank. To Dr. Denise Von Glahn, thank you for inspiring me to reach across disciplinary divides and remain emotionally connected to the process of research and scholarship. To my primary advisor, Dr. Frank Gunderson: what a privilege it has to study under such a giant mind in this field. There are no words to express my gratitude. Someday I hope to repay you by producing work that honors the rigor and dedication that you yourself have dedicated. To my brilliant graduate colleagues at Florida State University, thank you for making the Florida State University Musicology program a community to which I will always remain proud of. Of particular relevance to the completion of this dissertation, a big thank you to Lisa Beckley-Roberts, Damascus Kafumbe, Plamena Kourtova, Todd Rosendahl, Pete Hoesing, and Jennifer Talley. Finally, an enormous thanks to my fearless copy-editors Twyla Wolfe, Plamena Kourtova, Matt Henson, and Kayleen Justus-Kerg. Finally, last but certainly not least, thank you to my mother, Anne McNamara, I never ever could have come to this point without your help, guidance, and encouragement to always follow my dreams. Any success and joy I will have as a result of completing this degree, I owe mostly to you. To my sister, Alexis Hopkins, one of the best people I’ve ever known, your friendship throughout the years has grounded me like no other. Because of you I truly have come to respect the value of family. v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ............................................................................................................................. xiii List of Musical Examples ........................................................................................................... xvii Abstract ..........................................................................................................................................xx 1. INTRODUCTION: COMPOSING CIVIL SOCIETY ............................................................1 1.1 Purpose and Argument ...................................................................................................1 1.1.1 A Contingent Excerpt of NGO Music Culture in Nairobi ....................................3 1.2 Theory: Positioning a Theory of Ethnographic Contingency ........................................7 1.2.1 Contingency in Historiographical Perspective: Rhetorical, Variable, Reflexive, and Interdisciplinary ......................................................................................................8 1.2.1.1 Rhetorical Properties of Contingency ....................................................8 1.2.1.2 Variable Properties of Contingency .......................................................9 1.2.1.3 Contingency as Pragmatically Reflexive .............................................10 1.2.1.4 Contingency as Interdisciplinary .........................................................13 1.3 Research Methodology: A Contingent Ethnographic Method .....................................13 1.3.1 Research Development Timeline ........................................................................14 1.3.1.1 Phase One: Secondary Sources and Internet Resources at Florida State University, September 2008-June 2010 ...........................................................14 1.3.1.2 Phase Two: Cultural Immersion, Observation, and Interview-Based Research in Kenya, September 2010-December 2010 ....................................16 1.3.1.3 Phase Three: Participant Observation with Ketebul Music, December 2010-May 2011 ..............................................................................18 1.3.2 From Fieldwork to Text: Themes Drawn from the Research Process ................20 1.4 Literature Review.........................................................................................................21 1.4.1 Contingency in Ethnomusicology .......................................................................22 1.4.2 Contingency in Anthropology.............................................................................22 1.4.3 Contingency in Historical Studies ......................................................................23 1.4.4 Contingency in Behavioral Psychology ..............................................................23 1.4.5 Contingency in Organizational Theory ...............................................................25 1.4.6 African Music Sources ........................................................................................25 1.4.7 Globalization and World Music Sources ............................................................28 1.4.8 African NGO Sources .........................................................................................30 1.4.9 Organizational Studies Sources ..........................................................................31 1.5 Background ..................................................................................................................33 1.5.1 Nairobi as a Location of Contingent Cultural Intersection .................................33 1.5.2 Precolonial Cultural Intersections .......................................................................34 1.5.2.1 Early Settlers and Migrations...............................................................34
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