Kadara Swaleh

Kadara Swaleh is a Research Fellow at the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO) in Berlin, affiliated with the BMBF-funded project "De:link//Re:link: An Anthropological Study of the Impact and Repercussions of Chinese BRI projects in Coastal Kenya" (2021). Concurrently, they are a Doctoral Candidate at Freie Universität Berlin's School of Cultural and Social Anthropology since 2021.

• Key Affiliations:
  • Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO), Berlin
  • Freie Universität Berlin
  • University of Nairobi (alumni)

Educational Background:

• Doctoral studies in Cultural and Social Anthropology (ongoing)
• M.A. in Religious Studies (2012), University of Nairobi, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
• B.A. in Sociology and Archaeology (1990-1995), University of Nairobi

Research Focus: Kadara's work critically examines the socio-economic impacts of Chinese infrastructure projects in Coastal Kenya through an ethnographic lens. Their research combines urban anthropology, grounded theory, and transregional fieldwork methodologies to analyze:

• Disruption of Mombasa port-related livelihoods
• Translocal entanglements between Kenyan coastal communities and Chinese entities
• Political economy of Sino-African infrastructure development
• Social implications of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR)
• Lamu Port's regional economic impact

Scientific Awards & Engagements:

• Invited to South-South Human Rights Forum by China's CPC (2019)
• Participated in poverty eradication summer schools (2018)
• Contributed to comparative studies of African religious communities

Publications: Their scholarly work spans from 2005-2021, focusing on:

• Kenya-China economic relations
• Swahili cultural heritage
• Religious dynamics along the East African coast
• Human rights in development contexts