Women, Gender, and Feminisms in Africa

Catalog description

This introductory course provides students with a broad interdisciplinary overview of scholarly research and theory related to women and gender studies in Africa, using both historical and contemporary examples from across the continent. We will explore the complex, and oftentimes contradictory, meanings attached to gender and sexuality in various African contexts. For example, what does it mean to be a "good" woman in Uganda today? How does this definition change (or not) if she comes out as a lesbian? What if s/he identifies as a transgender man or rejects gender binaries altogether? What if gender did not matter, or even, did not exist? In addition to exploring these types of questions, we will also examine African feminist thought, paying close attention to the ways in which African feminisms are similar to and/or different from other forms of feminism worldwide. We will also consider what these movements looked like in practice. What strategies did African feminists utilize to promote social change? What challenges did they face? What victories resulted from their efforts? Although topics may vary from semester to semester, key themes include environmental activism, anti-war/peace activism, political activism, sex worker rights activism, activism to support peoples living with HIV/AIDS, and activism against harmful traditional practices. Finally, we will examine the ways in which African feminists have contributed to global debates and initiatives on women's rights and gender equity. Students in this course can expect to engage with diverse texts from the humanities (esp. history, literature, film studies, and philosophy), as well as from the social and behavioral sciences (esp. anthropology, geography, sociology, and political science).