Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi

The aim of this study is to estimate the influence of migration upon economic differentiation. For a change the study does not focus on urban migration. It is argued that the dichotomous contrast between the ideal types of 'rural' and 'urban' is illusory since it tends to assume the mutual exclusion of the two environments. The dynamic nature of the interactions between rural migrants and their place of origin is conditioned by the operation of the network of kinship and friendship relations. It is asserted here that actual participation by individuals and families in these network relations depends on considerations of socio-economic status of the members of a dyad. It is hypothesized, therefore, that kinship relations are undergoing a transformation in which their affective orientation is being replaced by an instrumental orientation. It is further suggested that this trend is positively correlated with the developments in economic differentiation.