Karin Butterworth

Karin Butterworth is a graduate student in cultural anthropology. After receiving her BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Colgate University, she worked as an intern at Cultural Survival where she conducted research and wrote news articles about indigenous peoples in Africa. She also worked for Maasai Education Discovery, a nonprofit organization that promotes education for Maasai girls in Kenya. Through involvement with these organizations she developed an interest in the global indigenous rights movement and the ways in which indigenous identity is adopted, transformed, and expressed locally in Africa, specifically in Kenya. In her research, Karin also hopes to gain a greater understanding of how relationships between indigenous organizations at the local, national, and international levels influence local groups as they express their goals and identities. Karin’s studies have been supported by two FLAS Fellowships. This summer, she will use the SKJ award in Kenya to meet with representatives of indigenous organizations to explore how they express identity. She will also begin to investigate the types of relationships these organizations build with other organizations at the local, national, and international level.

Check out Karin’s post-fellowship report here.