Living today or saving for tomorrow? Perspectives of the Future among ‘middle-class’ milieus in Nairobi Florian Stoll 1 Abstract: This article examines how looking at perspectives of the Future 2 con- tributes to distinguishing milieus in the “middle-classes” of urban Kenya. The rise of millions of Africans out of poverty since 2000 has triggered a debate on the so-called “African middle-classes”. This debate, however, has to date not yet addressed the specifics and differences of particular subdivisions of this middle-income-group that would help to understand what is significant beyond their similar financial situation. In response to this gap, this text examines how particular views on Future contribute to distinguishing social milieus, i.e. sociocultural groups with different conducts of life. Because perspectives of the Future depend strongly on the societal and cultural backgrounds from which they emerge, these hopes, expectations and other aspects are a good entry point for identifying which elements of life are significant for members of different social milieus in the “middle-class”. By examining empirical data for the Neo-Traditional milieu and the Social Climbers – milieus established through empirical data from fieldwork in Kenya for the Project “Middle-Classes on the Rise” – I examine how sociocultural aspects that are crucial for members of a specific milieu also affect their perspectives on the Future. I will show that these perspectives arise from a distinguishable approach to values, patterns of consumption, and in Kenya – as well as in many other African contexts – features like ethnicity, urban-rural ties, forms of religious affiliation or the relationship to the extended family. Introduction “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” This question does not only make applicants in job interviews sweat but it is also one of the things parents try to discuss with their rebellious teenage children. Similarly, couples want to know about their significant other’s outlook on life when they plan to get married. Perspectives of the Future are so striking because they tell us much about the speaker and her or his life views. Talking about the future and someone’s plans reveals something about values, ambitions but also about the dreams and hopes of an individual. While parts of Future visions are individual, a considerable part of these plans and hopes are societal, this means part of shared forms of consciousness and specific orientations and idea systems. For example, there are many ways how individuals plan to use their income. Is someone saving to buy a house or does someone prefer to enjoy life in the here and now and spends everything for objects of con- sumption and parties? These future orientations show different conducts of life that can help us distinguish social groups with special features. Therefore, this article uses perspectives of Future to distinguish socioculturally differentiated groups, social milieus in the “middle-class” of Kenya’s Nairobi. The text refers to an ongoing debate on African “middle-classes” and provides a new viewpoint by combining milieu analysis and the study of future perspectives in order to provide 40