Abstract

This paper focuses on the critical role of how the Anglican Church in Kenya exercises power over educational institutions that it sponsors. It is a detailed and in-depth study of the significance of ritual and how this is intertwined with language. Language, it must be noted is the vehicle used to carry ideology. In this study, the researcher has considered a number of aspects in an Induction Service presided over by the Diocesan Bishop. They include: vows, declarations and blessings; participants subject positions that are constructed through discourse to make them subordinates; the legitimization of power through rituals and the significance of historical continuities of church -state relations in Kenya’s education system. This study employs the Foucauldian Discourse theory. It focuses on power relationships in society as expressed through language and practices or rituals.