Converging Constructions: A Historical Perspective on Sexuality and Feminism in Post-Colonial Africa

Résumé

In recent times, there have been emerging issues on the relevance of the feminist movement in sub-Saharan Africa and the theoretical reconceptualisations that have arisen in response to the discourses on rights, sexuality, roles and identities in the region. Studies have shown that unique factors have a direct bearing on the situation of African women, especially those in post-colonial territories, and that feminist actions in the region are influenced by converging constructs of statehood, culture, religion, politics and ethnicity. Theoretical developments relating to the public/private divide in civil societies provide further contexts in which to analyse African responses to feminism and sexuality. This paper analyses feminism and sexuality in post-colonial Africa as seen from the gendered lens of an African woman. It is a historical perspective of converging constructions that have an impact on the movement in the South, and the colonial dimensions and consequences of these flows on women, rights, identities and roles.

Converging Constructions: A Historical Perspective on Sexuality and Feminism in Post-Colonial Africa

In recent times, there have been emerging issues on the relevance of the feminist movement in sub-Saharan Africa and the theoretical reconceptualisations that have arisen in response to the discourses on rights, sexuality, roles and identities in the region. Studies have shown that unique factors have a direct bearing on the situation of African women, especially those in post-colonial territories, and that feminist actions in the region are influenced by converging constructs of statehood, culture, religion, politics and ethnicity. Theoretical developments relating to the public/private divide in civil societies provide further contexts in which to analyse African responses to feminism and sexuality. This paper analyses feminism and sexuality in post-colonial Africa as seen from the gendered lens of an African woman. It is a historical perspective of converging constructions that have an impact on the movement in the South, and the colonial dimensions and consequences of these flows on women, rights, identities and roles.