Resistance to the modern school system

from the case of school arson in Kenya

Abstract

Since independence, school arson has been a constant problem in Kenya. Violence that occurs in schools, such as corporal punishment and bullying, is a common issue worldwide. In the case of Kenya, the peculiarity of arson is added to this. This study attempts to draw attention to such peculiarities, organize and analyze school arson cases that have occurred in Kenyan secondary schools, and identify the characteristics and causes of these arson cases. The results can be summarized in three points. First, arson is more likely to occur when more than a certain number of students share a claim to the school; second, although the student dormitories are set on fire, the risk of killing or injuring students is intentionally reduced; and third, there is a fear that the students' own rights and place in the school will be threatened behind the arson. Based on the above, this paper has led to the conclusion that one of the factors that trigger school arson may be the symbolic apparatus of modernity, such as closure and authority associated with school education. Therefore, rather than viewing the Kenyan school arson cases as being caused by individual acts of violence by young people or indiscipline among students, it is more appropriate to view them as resistance against closed spaces such as boarding schools and authoritarianism, or as social resistance against the modern school system.