Women's Activism in Africa: Struggles for Rights and Representation

by Balghis Badri (Editor), Aili Mari Tripp (Editor)

Overview

Throughout Africa, growing numbers of women are coming together and making their voices heard, mobilising around causes ranging from democracy and land rights to campaigns against domestic violence. In Tanzania and Tunisia, women have made major gains in their struggle for equal political rights, and in Sierra Leone and Liberia women have been at the forefront of efforts to promote peace and reconciliation. While some of these movements have been influenced by international feminism and external donors, increasingly it is African women who are shaping the global struggle for women's rights.

Bringing together African authors who themselves are part of the activist groups, this collection represents the only comprehensive and up-to-date overview of women's movements in contemporary Africa. Drawing on case studies and fresh empirical material from across the continent, the authors challenge the prevailing assumption that notions of women's rights have trickled down from the global north to the south, showing instead that these movements have been shaped by above all the unique experiences and concerns of the local women involved.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783609086
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/15/2017
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Balghis Badri is a professor of social anthropology and director of the Regional Institute for Gender, Diversity, Peace and Rights at Ahfad University for Women, Sudan. She has previously taught at the universities of Khartoum and Riyadh, and was head of research at the Arab Centre for Training and Research in Tunis. In addition to her academic research, she is active in struggles for women's legal rights and empowerment, has headed several NGOs, and has worked as a consultant on gender issues to several UN agencies and government ministries.

Aili Mari Tripp is a professor of political science and Evjue Bascom professor of gender and women's studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States. She has published extensively on gender and politics and on women's movements in Africa and globally. She is author of several award-winning books, such as Women and Power in Postconflict Africa (2015) and co-author of African Women's Movements: Transforming Political Landscapes (2009).
Balghis Badri is a professor of social anthropology and director of the Regional Institute for Gender, Diversity, Peace and Rights at Ahfad University for Women, Sudan. She has previously taught at the universities of Khartoum and Riyadh, and was head of research at the Arab Centre for Training and Research in Tunis. In addition to her academic research, she is active in struggles for women's legal rights and empowerment, has headed several NGOs, and has worked as a consultant on gender issues to several UN agencies and government ministries.

Aili Mari Tripp is a professor of political science and Evjue Bascom professor of gender and women's studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States. She has published extensively on gender and politics and on women's movements in Africa and globally. She is author of several award-winning books, such as Women and Power in Postconflict Africa (2015) and co-author of African Women's Movements: Transforming Political Landscapes (2009).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vi

1 African influences on global women's rights: an overview Aili Mari Tripp Balghis Badri 1

2 The evolution of the women's movement in Sierra Leone Nana Claris Efua Pratt 33

3 Market women's associations in Ghana Akua Opokua Britwum Angela Dziedzom Akorsu 48

4 Tunisian women's literature of denunciation Lilia Labidi 61

5 The Moroccan feminist movement (1946-2014) Fatima Sadiqi 97

6 Women's rights and the women's movement in Sudan (1952-2014) Samia Al Nagar Liv Tønnessen 121

7 The women's movement in Tanzania Aili Mari Tripp 156

8 The women's movement in Kenya Regina G. Mwatha 184

9 Women organising for liberation in South Africa Sheila Meintjes 205

10 African women activists: contributions and challenges ahead Balghis Badri 225

About the editors and contributors 241

Index 244

Editorial Reviews

“An enjoyable, informative read, a concise yet richly detailed and timely addition to knowledge on women’s activism in Africa, and a strong foundation for research on young African feminisms. . . .  Invaluable reading for students and scholars of feminist politics all over the world.

Social Movement Studies

“A valuable and thought-provoking volume. In illuminating less familiar aspects of women’s politics in Africa, [the book] contributes to our wider understanding of the dynamics of (national) women’s movements and of the contemporary global movement for women’s rights.

Commonwealth and Comparative Politics

“Harnesses women’s voices and experiences across Africa to help build a common heritage of protest and activism, which is normally left out of histories of the struggles of African states. It is a must read for all those interested in knowing what African women have been doing and continue to do in the African continent.” 

 

Wanjiku Kabira

“Women’s Activism in Africa is an act of epistemological social justice, as it reveals the important, yet overlooked, role that women have been playing on the continental and global stage.

International Feminist Journal of Politics

“(An) excellent collection of essays on women’s activism in Africa. . . . The volume’s message is thus both celebratory and deeply realistic.

Choice