Visiones Europeas sobre el Grupo Étnico Elmolo (Kenia, 1887-1975)
Abstract
This article examines twelve journeys undertaken between 1887 and 1973 to Kenya by explorers, anthropologists and artists, in order to assess the image they conveyed of the Elmolo through their writings, illustrations and photographs. It reveals how each expedition inherited a distorted view, shaped by ideas such as poverty, extinction risk, fishing, silence, shyness, hospitality, ritual hippo hunting and interethnic relations. Colonial stereotypes, notably Vanishing Africa, became normalised. The article offers a new perspective by incorporating the photographic gaze, whose static and often stereotyped depictions contrast with the supposed progress of textual knowledge.
Fields of Study & Subjects
African history and culture studies
Photographic and Visual Arts
Cultural Studies and Colonialism
Publication details
- Journal / source
- VISUAL REVIEW International Visual Culture Review / Revista Internacional de Cultura Visual
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 211–226
- Publication date
- 30 January 2026
- Language
- EN