Abstract

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.

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).

‘This compact volume on women’s activism, by many of the most outstanding scholars in the field, is among the best and most useful I have seen. The editors, bolstered by excellent contributions, turn conventional wisdom about African women on its head.’
Sondra Hale, UCLA (Emerita)

‘This book is distinctive for its critical analysis on issues around African women’s movements and mobilisations. The contributors represent scholarship and activism from diverse regions, and their work broadens our understanding of current African feminist discourses.’
Josephine Beoku-Betts, Florida Atlantic University

‘Coming from African scholars, this captivating book makes a much needed contribution to the current literature. Not only does it provide new perspectives and insights, but it also highlights the diversity of activism across the continent. This is a must read.’
Kathleen Fallon, Stony Brook University

‘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, University of Nairobi, Kenya

'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 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

'Badri and Tripp have assembled a remarkable collec-tion of essays by impressive, accomplished women that challenges masculinist histories of political change and challenges.'
African Studies Review

'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

'This is an excellent contribution to the literature on African feminism and international women’s rights agendas … valuable to students and researchers of African politics, development studies, human rights and gender studies, as well as policymakers.'
Journal of Modern African Studies

'A very inspiring and necessary read at a time when women's voices are regularly muffled.'
Strategic Review for Southern Africa

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