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Gender and Politics in Africa

Module description

In this module we will examine how the fundamental functions of politics and governance, such as war and militarism, peace and reconciliation, social reproductive labour, empowerment and development, both construct and are sustained by masculinities and femininities. By exploring feminist theoretical interventions of normative understandings of politics and governance, the connections between feminist knowledge production, policy influencing, and social praxis will be articulated. Through interactive seminars, students will have a critical engagement with gender and politics through an examination of emerging approaches to thinking about politics and governance by feminist movements in Africa.

The aim of the course is to serve as an introduction to some major themes and debates around politics and governance via African feminist approaches. It encourages students to move on to more detailed work, thematically and regionally, and signposts them towards literature that will enable them to develop their own interests. This is an introductory module for students seeking to develop a critical perspective on gender, politics and African feminist interventions.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to equip you with the conceptual and theoretical tools necessary for understanding politics, governance and African feminist interventions. It will familiarise you with the latest research on gender and politics and encourage you to develop a critical perspective in analysing existing research, policy-making and social practice on politics and governance via African feminist lenses. You will be exposed to a variety of African methodological approaches and challenges in research on politics and governance and provided with an understanding of how both historical and international factors affect domestic governance. You will be able to explore these concepts and theories in a wide range of geographical cases across African countries.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate understanding of femininities and masculinities that drive and sustain politics and governance
• 2. Demonstrate a command of the main findings of research on African feminist approaches to politics
• 3. Evaluate the main approaches to the study of politics and governance

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Employ the categories and concepts of African feminism to a range of empirical cases in the broader discipline of politics
• 5. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of existing political research
• 6. Conduct rigorous, independent analysis of politics using a variety of relevant sources

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Construct a reasoned and logical argument supported by evidence
• 8. Work independently and with peers to achieve goals.

Syllabus plan

While the precise content will vary from year to year, it is expected that the module will include lectures on the following themes:

• Africa, Feminist theory and Politics
• Women, Peace and Security
• Masculinity and Militarism
• Production of Terror and Other
• Gendered Empowerment and Development
• Social Reproduction Theory
• Land Reform and Governance
• Queer, Citizenship and Sexualities
• Informality in Politics and Governance
• Violence, Civil War and Genocide
• Gender and Diaspora
• Motherhood, Heterosexuality and Nation-Building

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Davies, Carole Boyce. 2014. ‘Pan-Africanism, Transnational Black Feminism and the Limits of Culturalist Analyses in African Gender Discourses’. Feminist Africa 19: 78–93.
• Mama, Amina, 2007. “Is It Ethical to Study Africa? Preliminary Thoughts on Scholarship and Freedom”. African Studies Review, 50: 1–26.
• OyÃ?�wùmí, O. 1997. The Invention of Women: Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourses. University of Minnesota Press.
• Alidou, O.D., 2005. Engaging modernity: Muslim women and the politics of agency in postcolonial Niger. Univ of Wisconsin Press.
• Oloka-Onyango, J. and Tamale, S. 1995. ” The Personal is Political,” or Why Women’s Rights are Indeed Human Rights: An African Perspective on International Feminism. Human Rights Quarterly. 17(4): 691-731.
• Tripp, Aili M. 1994. Gender, Political Participation, and the Transformation of Associational Life in Uganda and Tanzania.” African Studies Review 37 (1): 107-131.
• Gouws, Amanda, 2014. Recognition and redistribution: State of the women's movement in South Africa 20 years after democratic transition, Agenda, 28:2, 19-32.
• Horn, Jessica, 2013. Gender and Social Movements Overview Report. Brighton, Institute of Development Studies.
• Goetz, Anne Marie. 2002. "No shortcuts to power: constraints on women's political effectiveness in Uganda." The Journal of Modern African Studies 40.4 (2002): 549-575.
• McFadden, Pat. 2005. “Becoming Postcolonial: African Women Changing the Meaning of Citizenship”. In: Meridians: feminism, race, transnationalism. 6 (1), pp. 1–18.
• Abbas, Hakima and Ekine, Sokari. 2013. (Eds.): Queer African Reader. Oxford. Pambazuka Press. e
• Tamale, S. 2011. African Sexualities: A Reader. London: Pambazuka

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• Amadiume, Ifi. 1987. Male Daughters, Female Husbands: Gender and Sex in an African Society. Palgrave Macmillan, Introduction, available online at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5f3OFZFYYz4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=fals

Key words search

Politics and Governance, Feminism, Africa, Gender Studies, Peace and Security