Through and Beyond the State: Collaborative Finance and Cosmologies of Solidarity in East Africa

CURA announces the spring 2026 colloquium schedule. This year-long conversation brings together an interdisciplinary community of scholars of culture, religion, and world affairs. Please register below for the session(s) you plan to attend. The April 17 workshop will feature a paper by Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Research Associate, African Studies Center, Boston University.

Please note that reading the paper in advance is required for attendance. CURA workshops are dedicated to focused, in depth feedback and discussion. A copy of the paper(s) will be sent to registered participants one week in advance of each session.

Abstract: This study examines how collective ethics and cosmologies of cooperation have shaped economic life, state-building, and everyday survival in East Africa. Focusing on practices of mutual aid and cooperative labor, it traces how these ethical frameworks have informed both state-led projects like Ujamaa in Tanzania and community-based initiatives such as Harambee in Kenya, while adapting to shifting political and economic conditions.