Women in Africa

This book introduces readers to the rich and diverse experiences of women across the African continent, covering their socio-cultural, political, and economic realities from the precolonial era right up to the modern day. In many precolonial African societies, women were empowered and considered to be important participants in the social structures and political systems that managed their communities, but during the colonial era, women were often marginalized. Now, across the continent, women are reasserting their agency. This book explores the various ways in which gender has been constructed in different African cultures across history and how this has impacted the lived experiences of women. The book encompasses a broad range of topics, including history, health, sexualities, gender-based violence, motherhood, education, economic activities, science and technology, religion, popular culture, politics, peacebuilding, feminism, literature, social media, and migration. Engaging and compelling, this book invites us to think again about the changing roles, identities, and contributions of African women across time and space. It is the perfect introduction for any student of gender or African studies, as well as for anyone looking for a reader-friendly guide to the subject.

Toyin Falola is the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities and Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. Falola has published over a hundred books and is the recipient of 20 honorary doctorates as well as several lifetime achievement awards. Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso is Associate Professor of African and African American Studies at Brandeis University, USA, Vice-President of the International Studies Association (ISA, 2024-2025), and Research Fellow at the University of the Free State. She is the co-editor of the three-volume Palgrave Handbook of African Women's Studies (2021) and has published 11 other books on African politics, women, gender, refugees, and knowledge production in Africa.

Introduction: The Study of Women and Gender in Africa Part I African Women in History 1 Women in Precolonial Africa 2 Colonialism and Women in Africa 3 Women and Apartheid in South Africa 4 The Status of Women in Contemporary Africa 5 African Feminisms and Women's Movements Through History Part II Social Lives and Livelihoods 6 Changing Conceptions of Motherhood in Africa 7 Marriage, Polygamy, and the African Woman 8 African Women and Education 9 African Women's Economic Activities 10 African Women in Science and Technology 11 Racism, Gender and African Women 12 African Women and Religion 13 Women and Popular Culture in Africa Part III Bodies and Being 14 African Women and Gendered Sexualities 15 Women's Health in Africa 16 Women and Sex Work in Africa 17 Gender-Based Violence in Africa Part IV Political and Social Agency 18 African Women and Politics 19 African Women, Conflict and Peacebuilding 20 African Women Writers: Agency, Impact, and Current Directions 21 African Women, Agency, and Social Media 22 African Women and Migration