The development of Archaeology in Kenya since the early 1960s

Abstract

The paper sets out to elucidate the socio-economic environment under which archaeology as a discipline has developed in Kenya since the early 1960’s to the year 2000 with special interest in assessing the part played by various administrations since independence. The international trends in method and theory are also examined in addition to explaining why archaeological studies were conducted. The chapter starts by examining the challenges that archaeology faced at independence. The response to these challenges is discussed in three periods: the era of Neo-colonialism, between 1960 and 1965; the era of Afrocentrism, between 1965 and 1980; and the era of Recent Research, between 1980 and 2000. It is concluded that after attaining independence, the successive governments in Kenya have done little to promote the discipline owing largely to the lack of financial capacity, and consequently, on their dependence on foreign institutions both economically and academically. Nevertheless, it is noted that by the year 2000 the discipline had helped to solve most of the challenges it faced at independence