Pathways for Decolonizing African Feminist Scholarship: Palgrave Handbook of African Women’s Studies
On Wednesday, March 23, the Center for Women, Gender, and Global Leadership in partnership with the Center for African Studies at Howard hosted an event titled “Pathways for Decolonizing African Feminist Scholarship: Palgrave Handbook of African Women’s Studies” as a part of the Speaker Series. The book talk featured both contributors and editors of the book and was moderated by Howard University’s own Professor Anita Plummer. The impressive list of contributors included Professor Msia Kibona Clark from Howard University, Professor Simidele Dosekun of the London School of Economics, Professor Christine Saidi of the University of Pennsylvania, Professor Siphokazi Magadla of the Rhodes University in South Africa, and Professor A. Atia Apusigah. Editors Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso and Toyin Falola were also present for the discussion.
The discussion was described by one of the hosts to act as a master class in African Women’s Studies and African Feminist Studies. The discussion showcased the ground-breaking work that the panelists from all over the world have contributed as a transnational effort to African Women’s Studies as a whole. The Palgrave Handbook of African Women’s Studies is ground-breaking because it is unique; there was no handbook for African Women’s Studies before this.
When discussing their contributions to the book, the panelists covered historical and contemporary accounts of African women and broke down stereotypes and misconceptions surrounding African women. Professor Dosekun specifically spoke about decolonizing feminism in order to define and defend African feminism on African women’s terms. She pluralizes “feminisms” because African women are not singular as a category. She says that instead of rejecting feminism as a Western concept, African women should reclaim and redefine it for themselves. Professor Saidi focused on the societal implications of binary gender and how as a collective we have made mistakes in assuming the nature of gender binaries. Professor Magadla spoke on African women and girls within the contexts of war and conflicts, and the unique ways in which they were affected. Professor Clark highlighted the creative ways that contemporary African women are using music, dance, and media to organize and further their agendas.
The Howard University Center for Women, Gender, and Global Leadership was honored to be joined by our esteemed panelists for a book that is a remarkable and historic contribution to African Women’s Studies. The Palgrave Handbook of African Women’s Studies can be accessed through the SpringerLink https://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007/978-3-030-28099-4?page=1#toc.
You can find a recording of the event on the Center's YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/XxfmbNMUWuA
