Recognized as a finalist for the CAE 2018 Outstanding Book Award!

Part historic ethnography, part linguistic case study and part a mother's memoir, Kisisi tells the story of two boys (Colin and Sadiki) who, together invented their own language, and of the friendship they shared in postcolonial Kenya.

Documents and examines the invention of a 'new' language between two boys in postcolonial Kenya

Offers a unique insight into child language development and use

Presents a mixed genre narrative and multidisciplinary discussion that describes the children's border-crossing friendship and their unique and innovative private language

Beautifully written by one of the foremost scholars in child development, language acquisition and education, the book provides a seamless blending of the personal and the ethnographic

The story of Colin and Sadiki raises profound questions and has direct implications for many fields of study including child language acquisition and socialization, education, anthropology, and the anthropology of childhood

New Directions in Ethnography Books