Name: (Counter)-Mapping US Empire in Africa: A View from Kenya: A Talk by Samar Al-Bulushi
Start: 2025-09-18T19:00:00-07:00
Location: Page Against The Machine

(Counter)-Mapping US Empire in Africa: A View from Kenya: A Talk by Samar Al-Bulushi

Join us on 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟴𝘁𝗵 at 𝟳:𝟬𝟬𝗽𝗺 for (𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿)-𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗦 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮: 𝗔 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘆𝗮, a talk by UC Irvine scholar 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗔𝗹-𝗕𝘂𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶, author of the recently published book, 𝘞𝘢𝘳-𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨: 𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘺𝘢, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘛𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳.
𝘞𝘢𝘳-𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 explores the entanglement of militarism, imperialism, and liberal-democratic governance in East Africa today. Since Kenya's invasion of Somalia in 2011, the Kenyan state has been engaged in direct combat with the Somali militant group Al-Shabaab, conducting airstrikes in southern Somalia and deploying heavy-handed police tactics at home. Al-Bulushi illustrates that the war against Al-Shabaab has become a means to produce new fantasies, emotions, and subjectivities about Kenya's place in the world. Meanwhile, Kenya's alignment with the U.S. provides cover for the criminalization, policing, and extrajudicial killings of the country's Muslim minority population.
This talk will explore the contours of US militarism and imperialism in East Africa today, arguing that the US Military Command for Africa (AFRICOM) is only one aspect of a much wider set of power formations that shape the lifeworlds of people across the continent. Drawing on the work of feminist scholars of war, empire, and geopolitics, the author calls for a situated methodological approach—one that exceeds the geography of the military base, and that is more attuned to the sensorial, embodied knowledge formations of populations that have been caught in the crosshairs of the US-led "war on terror."
𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗔𝗹-𝗕𝘂𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶 is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at UC Irvine. Her book, 𝘞𝘢𝘳-𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨: 𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘺𝘢, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘛𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, was published by Stanford University Press in November 2024. She is a non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and previously served as contributing editor for 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺. She has published in a variety of public outlets on topics ranging from the International Criminal Court to the militarization of U.S. policy in Africa.
The event is free and open to the public, no tickets or reservations required!