Fictive Kinship as Social Capital in Jubilee Christian Church Nairobi
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Keywords
fictive kinship, social capital, social networks, Jubilee Christian Church, Kenya
Abstract
This paper draws on fieldwork conducted at Jubilee Christian Church (JCC), Parklands, in Nairobi, Kenya. It examines how fictive kinship among the church members functions as social capital, facilitating trust, resource sharing, and mutual aid. Using data gathered through an ethnographic study of JCC, the study posits that fictive kinship offers its members spiritual, emotional, and economic benefits. The primary methods employed for data collection were participant observation and unstructured interviews. The resulting data was analyzed thematically, and the discussion is based on the fictive kinship theory by Seltzer (1993). The study found that while fictive kinship provides a sense of solidarity and belonging among members, it is possible to exploit individuals based on its principles of public acknowledgment and reciprocity. Notwithstanding, fictive kinship is reinforced by the human need for connection and belonging in a complex urban environment.
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