Women Empowerment and the Feminist Agenda in Africa

Women in Africa have been historically relegated to the role of spectators in their own life stories. The dominant narratives of African womanhood have been written by non-African scholars and have resulted in the coloniality of knowledge about African womanhood. This has forced silence on the part of African women, resulting in a negative perception of African women that stems from misguided interpretations of their lived experiences. However, African women know that women and children bore the brunt of crises in their communities, and many are committed to correcting the disparities and forging new relationships between state and society. Women Empowerment and the Feminist Agenda in Africa, initiates research and studies in the social sciences to address this issue. The book provides an overview and introduction to the study of feminist theory and practice in Africa in the social sciences, making it a starting point for further and more advanced study. The book is designed to enable practitioners, academics, and researchers to translate feminist theory and concepts into practice and stimulate debate by encouraging them to adopt a challenging, questioning perspective on feminist research and ideas. Topics covered in the book include an overview of feminist perspectives on sex and gender, conceptualizing feminism in Africa, epistemological foundations of feminism in Africa, feminist perspectives on African culture and languages, ethical foundations of feminism in Africa, African women through Western eyes, revisiting African womanhood historical archives, and many more. The research encapsulated within this book is written for researchers, academics, and advanced tertiary studies, as well as professional gender and feminist organizations focusing on Africa. It will be useful and enlightening for post-graduate students and staff in Africa and the international community, the non-governmental community in Africa, women's movement organizations in Africa, independent researchers and academics, the African community at large, and academic program leadership of African studies. By providing a comprehensive introduction to the field and encouraging challenging, questioning perspectives on feminist research and ideas, this book will contribute to new concepts and issues in feminism and gender studies in Africa and promote a more accurate and authentic understanding of African womanhood.