Short Abstract

The panel explores how and with what consequences women have navigated and do navigate institutionalised worlds of power from precolonial to postcolonial times. We invite proposals from across disciplines and welcome contributions that recognise the wide variation across geographies and time.

Long Abstract

In modern Africa, civic and political participation have been dominated by masculine ideals, with women facing various barriers to participation in public life. While Rwanda stands out with 64% of its deputies being women, many countries have very low female participation. The assumption is that these barriers intersect with social, cultural, political and economic constructs that result in the subordination of women in both the private and public spheres. Debates over new legislation, for instance, generally do not consider the range of experiences and needs of women and dominant discourses legitimise male leadership, normalising women’s exclusion from political decision-making. As a political minority, women have been and are targeted by repressive colonial and postcolonial systems, motivating the agendas of women’s organisations in both formal and informal institutions. Yet there are examples from earlier times as well as more recent ones that point to different models of gendered power with distinct consequences. The panel thus addresses how and with what consequences women have and do navigate institutionalized worlds of power, recognising variation across geographies and across time.

The panel welcomes proposals based on case studies or comparative studies that analyse how women have had to find room to act in arenas of power and establish (or not) legitimacy on their own terms, considering continuities and changes in this process. Proposals may include those addressing women’s political participation and representation, in contemporary or historical contexts across the continent or on related themes.

This Panel has 2 pending paper proposals.
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