Gender and Feminist Meditations on Women’s Political Participation in Africa

Across Africa, women continue to face structural, cultural, and political barriers that limit their participation in governance. This volume, financially supported by Akina Mama Wa Afrika, brings together scholars and activists to explore the diverse ways women are challenging these constraints and...

Disgrifiad llawn

Wedi'i Gadw mewn:
Manylion Llyfryddiaeth
Fformat: Online
Iaith:Saesneg
Cyhoeddwyd: UJ Press 2026
Pynciau:
Mynediad Ar-lein:https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/112090
Tagiau: Ychwanegu Tag
Dim Tagiau, Byddwch y cyntaf i dagio'r cofnod hwn!
_version_ 1869516475969044480
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description Across Africa, women continue to face structural, cultural, and political barriers that limit their participation in governance. This volume, financially supported by Akina Mama Wa Afrika, brings together scholars and activists to explore the diverse ways women are challenging these constraints and claiming space in political life. From Nigerian women using social media to amplify their voices, to Zimbabwe’s Nambya women dealing with patriarchal cultural practices, the chapters examine both the obstacles and strategies for empowerment. Empirical studies from South Africa, Ghana, and Uganda highlight how rural women, literary interventions, and activist-leaders like Stella Nyanzi are reshaping political participation and challenging entrenched gender norms. Drawing on African feminism, comparative analyses, and real-world case studies, the book offers insights into increasing women’s representation in decision-making platforms and national assemblies, advancing gender equality, and fostering inclusive governance. Essential for scholars, policymakers, and advocates, this collection illuminates the pathways toward a more equitable political future in Africa. Dr Dikeledi A. Mokoena is a South African academic and lecturer at the University of Johannesburg's Department of Anthropology and Development Studies. Her research focuses on Gender, Politics of Development and Feminist Political Economy, which explores the intersection of gender and economics in African contexts. Dr Mokoena is a former youth leader of a pan-Africanist movement and has served in various leadership portfolios. Dr Mokoena has a colourful history in political activism & remains an activist scholar. Her work is centred around promoting pan-African unity, collective leadership, and African feminist principles for a more just and equal world. Sharon Adetutu OMOTOSO is an Associate Researcher at the Institute for the Future of Knowledge, University of Johannesburg. She is also Associate Professor (Gender and Media Studies) at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan where she heads the Women’s Research and Documentation Centre (WORDOC). Her works integrate the transdisciplinary fields of Applied Ethics, Media/Information Literacy, Gender Studies, Higher education leadership, African Politics and African Philosophy. On these, she serves on editorial boards of scholarly journals and consults for international agencies. As an Alexandra von Humboldt fellow, her strength lies in developing innovative concepts that contribute to debates in scholarship, activism, and policy engagements.
format Online
id doab-20.500.12854ir-174420
institution Directory of Open Access Books
language eng
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
publishDateSort 2026
publisher UJ Press
publisherStr UJ Press
record_format ojs
spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-1744202026-04-23T05:17:05Z Gender and Feminist Meditations on Women’s Political Participation in Africa Mokoena, Dikeledi Andronica Feminism Politics Women's leadership Africa thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities::JBSF Gender studies, gender groups::JBSF1 Gender studies: women and girls::JBSF11 Feminism and feminist theory thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JP Politics and government Across Africa, women continue to face structural, cultural, and political barriers that limit their participation in governance. This volume, financially supported by Akina Mama Wa Afrika, brings together scholars and activists to explore the diverse ways women are challenging these constraints and claiming space in political life. From Nigerian women using social media to amplify their voices, to Zimbabwe’s Nambya women dealing with patriarchal cultural practices, the chapters examine both the obstacles and strategies for empowerment. Empirical studies from South Africa, Ghana, and Uganda highlight how rural women, literary interventions, and activist-leaders like Stella Nyanzi are reshaping political participation and challenging entrenched gender norms. Drawing on African feminism, comparative analyses, and real-world case studies, the book offers insights into increasing women’s representation in decision-making platforms and national assemblies, advancing gender equality, and fostering inclusive governance. Essential for scholars, policymakers, and advocates, this collection illuminates the pathways toward a more equitable political future in Africa. Dr Dikeledi A. Mokoena is a South African academic and lecturer at the University of Johannesburg's Department of Anthropology and Development Studies. Her research focuses on Gender, Politics of Development and Feminist Political Economy, which explores the intersection of gender and economics in African contexts. Dr Mokoena is a former youth leader of a pan-Africanist movement and has served in various leadership portfolios. Dr Mokoena has a colourful history in political activism & remains an activist scholar. Her work is centred around promoting pan-African unity, collective leadership, and African feminist principles for a more just and equal world. Sharon Adetutu OMOTOSO is an Associate Researcher at the Institute for the Future of Knowledge, University of Johannesburg. She is also Associate Professor (Gender and Media Studies) at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan where she heads the Women’s Research and Documentation Centre (WORDOC). Her works integrate the transdisciplinary fields of Applied Ethics, Media/Information Literacy, Gender Studies, Higher education leadership, African Politics and African Philosophy. On these, she serves on editorial boards of scholarly journals and consults for international agencies. As an Alexandra von Humboldt fellow, her strength lies in developing innovative concepts that contribute to debates in scholarship, activism, and policy engagements. 2026-04-09T05:17:59Z 2026-04-09T05:17:59Z 2026-03-17T17:08:48Z 2025 book https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/112090 9780639890142 9780639890135 9780639890166 9780639890159 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/174420 eng open access image/jpeg Attribution 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/112090/1/9780639890142.pdf UJ Press UJ Press 10.64449/9780639890142 10.64449/9780639890142 3162fe88-25cb-4a0f-8540-52215ef36bf0 9780639890142 9780639890135 9780639890166 9780639890159 UJ Press 276 Johannesburg open access
spellingShingle Feminism
Politics
Women's leadership
Africa
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities::JBSF Gender studies, gender groups::JBSF1 Gender studies: women and girls::JBSF11 Feminism and feminist theory
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JP Politics and government
Gender and Feminist Meditations on Women’s Political Participation in Africa
title Gender and Feminist Meditations on Women’s Political Participation in Africa
title_full Gender and Feminist Meditations on Women’s Political Participation in Africa
title_fullStr Gender and Feminist Meditations on Women’s Political Participation in Africa
title_full_unstemmed Gender and Feminist Meditations on Women’s Political Participation in Africa
title_short Gender and Feminist Meditations on Women’s Political Participation in Africa
title_sort gender and feminist meditations on women s political participation in africa
topic Feminism
Politics
Women's leadership
Africa
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities::JBSF Gender studies, gender groups::JBSF1 Gender studies: women and girls::JBSF11 Feminism and feminist theory
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JP Politics and government
topic_facet Feminism
Politics
Women's leadership
Africa
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities::JBSF Gender studies, gender groups::JBSF1 Gender studies: women and girls::JBSF11 Feminism and feminist theory
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JP Politics and government
url https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/112090