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Words of Partnership, Structures of Power: UK Development Discourse on Kenya

Ring, Märta LU and Lindgren, Ella LU (2026) STVK12 20261
Department of Political Science
Abstract (Swedish)
The relationship between the United Kingdom and Kenya is longstanding, evolving from a colonizer-colony relationship to a contemporary ‘partnership’ centered on aid processes and effectiveness. Since Kenyan independence, the UK has maintained close ties through various development initiatives. For this thesis, we have analyzed 12 development cooperation policy papers. To analyze these documents, we have conducted a discourse analysis to study the language being used within these documents. The analysis is organized into three sections, each corresponding to a distinct time period, starting from the year 2000. Critical discourse analysis serves as the principal framework, guiding the exploration, analysis, and discussion by enabling a... (More)
The relationship between the United Kingdom and Kenya is longstanding, evolving from a colonizer-colony relationship to a contemporary ‘partnership’ centered on aid processes and effectiveness. Since Kenyan independence, the UK has maintained close ties through various development initiatives. For this thesis, we have analyzed 12 development cooperation policy papers. To analyze these documents, we have conducted a discourse analysis to study the language being used within these documents. The analysis is organized into three sections, each corresponding to a distinct time period, starting from the year 2000. Critical discourse analysis serves as the principal framework, guiding the exploration, analysis, and discussion by enabling a deeper understanding of how language is used and how it in turn constructs the relationship between the UK and Kenya. The thesis argues that although UK development cooperation towards Kenya is presented as collaborative, the discourse reproduces unequal power relations through representations of expertise, governance, and development authority. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ring, Märta LU and Lindgren, Ella LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK12 20261
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
The United Kingdom, Kenya, Development, Policy documents, Critical Discourse Analysis, Partnership, Power
language
English
id
9226571
date added to LUP
2026-06-16 15:09:12
date last changed
2026-06-16 15:09:12
@misc{9226571,
  abstract     = {{The relationship between the United Kingdom and Kenya is longstanding, evolving from a colonizer-colony relationship to a contemporary ‘partnership’ centered on aid processes and effectiveness. Since Kenyan independence, the UK has maintained close ties through various development initiatives. For this thesis, we have analyzed 12 development cooperation policy papers. To analyze these documents, we have conducted a discourse analysis to study the language being used within these documents. The analysis is organized into three sections, each corresponding to a distinct time period, starting from the year 2000. Critical discourse analysis serves as the principal framework, guiding the exploration, analysis, and discussion by enabling a deeper understanding of how language is used and how it in turn constructs the relationship between the UK and Kenya. The thesis argues that although UK development cooperation towards Kenya is presented as collaborative, the discourse reproduces unequal power relations through representations of expertise, governance, and development authority.}},
  author       = {{Ring, Märta and Lindgren, Ella}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Words of Partnership, Structures of Power: UK Development Discourse on Kenya}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}