Kenya: Swahili Studies and Coastal Culture

Beginning Spring 2010, this program will be titled:

Kenya: Islam and Swahili Cultural Identity


Program Overview


View Complete Photo Gallery

In the SIT Kenya: Swahili Studies and Coastal Cultures study abroad program students examine the profound and far-reaching impact of the Swahili language on the religious, cultural, and commercial practices of communities from Kenya to other regions of the East African coast and beyond. Through comprehensive coursework, educational excursions, and primary research students enhance their language skills while exploring how Swahili serves as a connecting thread linking the region's diverse populations.

Throughout the semester, students engage with prominent researchers, scientists, and local community members to gain a deeper understanding of the influence of Swahili across the region's diverse nations, religions, and ethnicities. Homestays with multiple host families further enrich each student's personal experience while creating a cultural framework for the study of the long history of trade and integration among Swahili speakers. An excursion to the stunning and historically-significant Lamu archipelago offers students additional exposure to the region's dynamic history and cultural richness.

The Cradle of Swahili Civilization
The equatorial Kenyan coast, often called the "cradle of Swahili civilization," represents the nexus of a diverse community extending from Somalia to Mozambique and Madagascar, and from Zanzibar, Tanzania to Oman. This vast area shares a rich and diverse sociopolitical history which students explore utilizing their improved Swahili language skills.

Over the course of more than 2,000 years, Swahili speakers have traded, interacted, and intermarried with individuals from a diverse array of African communities and overseas coastal regions. The bonds between Swahili speakers provide a fascinating study of the role that language can play in influencing culture, politics, development, resource management, and globalization.

The Kenya: Swahili Studies and Coastal Cultures study abroad program is based in cosmopolitan Mombasa, a historic cultural trading port, and today Kenya's second largest city. In Mombasa students have the unique opportunity to encounter many of the more than 40 ethnic groups comprising Kenya's population. SIT's extensive in-country and regional networks, with leading institutions such as the National Museums of Kenya, grant students exceptional access to multiple perspectives.

Browse this program's Independent Study Projects/Undergraduate Research