Gender is one of the most productive, dynamic, and vibrant areas of Africanist research today. But what is the meaning of gender in an African context? Why does gender usually connote women? Why has gender taken hold in Africa when feminism hasn't? Is gender yet another Western construct that has been applied to Africa however ill-suited and riddled with assumptions? This collection looks at Africa now that gender has come into play to consider how the continent, its people, and the term itself have changed. Leading Africanist historians, anthropologists, literary critics, and political scientists move past simple dichotomies, entrenched debates, and polarizing identity politics to present an evolving discourse of gender. Index, 328pp, USA. INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS.

First title in a planned series brings together the work from leading names in gender studies in Africa, such as Signe Arnfred, Edward Waswa Kisiang'ani and Oyeronke Oyewumi. The papers tackle subjects such as the merits and demerits of Eurocentricism, African epistemologies and cultures, colonial legacies, postcolonial realities, and other challenges in articulating African feminism and gender research. 100pp, SENEGAL. CODESRIA.

Seeks to bring African experiences to bear on the ongoing global discussions of women, gender and society. Courses on gender and Africa have become a staple in many departments including History, Sociology, Anthropology, Africana Studies and Women's Studies. A good body of research and writing has been carried out in this field in the last decade or two and this reader brings together the essential writing on the topic from the last 25 years, with a focus on theoretical and conceptual writings. Selected contents: White Women's Burden - O. Oyewumi; Women's Roles and Existential Identities - I. Kopytoff; Home-Made Hegemony: Modernity, Domesticity, and Colonialism in South Africa - J. Comaroff & J. Comaroff; What's So Feminist About Doing Women's Oral History? S. Geiger; Sheroes and Villains: Conceptualizing Colonial and Contemporary Violence Against Women in Africa - A.Mama. 448pp, UK. PALGRAVE.

A collection of papers written by African women now teaching in the USA, focusing on issues of cross cultural feminist interpretations of discourse and the dominance of Western men and women in the production of knowledge about Africa. Index, viii, 273pp, USA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS, 0865436282

A classic account of the oppression of black women from the 17th century to the present day, describing the stereotypes imposed on black women that keep them on the bottom rung of society. Index, bib, 205pp, UK. PLUTO PRESS, 0861043790

Attempts to break new ground in understanding how modern society has shaped women's knowledge system in Africa and deconstructs long-held myths about the position of ordinary women in the construction of knowledge. Using case studies, it historicizes the experiences of ordinary women in Tanzania and looks at how empowerment is used to, paradoxically, eviscerate women's knowledge systems. 256pp, UK. PALGRAVE.

An exploration of the metaphor of the `girlfriend' as a new way of understanding three central concepts of cultural studies: self, memory and language. The author considers how the works of such writers such as Toni Morrison, Ama Ata Aidoo, Dionne Brand, photographer Lorna Simpson and many others inform debates over the concepts of identity and argues that these artists replace the notion of a stable, singular identity with the concept of the self developing in a process both communal and perpetually fluid. Quashie argues that this relationship functions in the same way that an adult woman negotiates with her girlfriend(s). Index, bib, notes, x, 228pp, USA. RUTGERS UNIVERSITY PRESS, 0813533678

International collection of essays and case studies which explores diverse ways in which women and feminist organizations and movements are organizing and it also analyses the important lessons learned in the process. Includes essays on Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Morocco and Algeria. Index, 280pp, UK. ZED BOOKS.

Presents the original experiences, perspectives and visions of young feminists seeking to understand the current world order and shape a better future. Engaged as advocates, organisers, protesters, researchers and strategists, their energies, creativity and passion help to define social movements globally. The book brings together analyses by feminists of diverse identities on themes including women's rights and economic change, new technologies, sexuality, feminist organisations and movements. It presents key issues arising out of the experiences of young women living in both North and South, the challenges confronting young feminists, and the agenda for a new era of feminist leadership and activism. 272pp, UK. ZED BOOKS.

A collection of feminist criticism of African women's fiction. The author draws on a wide range of feminisms and their divergent interpretations to articulate important new agendas in the critical appreciation of African Feminist literatures. A range of authors and their work are studied. Index, notes, bib, 234pp, ERITREA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS, 0865438986

Brings together distinguished scholars and feminist activists in a collection of essays on human rights in Africa. Contributors explore the formulating, monitoring, reporting, and implementation of human rights in Africa and the African Diaspora. The individual chapters examine how human rights frameworks and practices differ in various political, economic, social, cultural, racial and gendered contexts throughout Africa, with essays on Tanzania, Zimbabwe, the Maghreb, Nigeria and Kenya. 320pp, UK. PALGRAVE.

2005 1403967075 Hardback

A compilation of essays which question the postcolonial discourse in relation to gender. Juxtaposing a number of contested subjects and geographical regions, the authors trace the response of feminisms to postcolonial discourses and First World feminism. Illustrated with b/w photographs. Index, bib, refs, notes, 754pp, UK. EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY PRESS.

The third title in the CODESRIA Gender Series, bringing together gender specialists who draw empirical evidence from Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. Examines various experiences of setting up gender and women's studies programmes. Also considers feminist and gender activism, gender identities, social protest, gender and culture in indigenous films, continuities and discontinuities in conceptions of gender, same-sex relation-ships, customary law and gendered discourse patterns. BNS, 180pp, SENEGAL. CODESRIA.

Brings together a variety of studies that are engaged with notions of gender in different African localities, institutions and historical time periods. The objective is to expand empirical and theoretical studies that take seriously the idea that in order to understand gender and gender relations in Africa, we must start with Africa. If gender emerges out of particular histories and social contexts, we must therefore pay attention to the histories of genderings as well as the continuous ways in which gender is made and remade in everyday interactions, and by institutions. In this sense then, gender is actually more about gendering - a process - rather than something inherent in social relations. 256pp, UK. PALGRAVE.

This volume showcases the diversity and depth of research taking place in Africa in this field. It focuses on the specifically African configuration of gender in the literary and religious tradition through discussing proverbs, beliefs, oral histories, and a culture of male authorship. It argues that although literature and religion necessarily deal in subjectivities and perceptions of identity, there is continuing gender bias, often at the level of the sub-culture. 108pp, SENEGAL. CODESRIA.

An historical and political reflection on the global women's movement, analysing the prospects for its future. Index, app, xiv, 204pp, UK. ZED BOOKS, 1842770179

The essays in this book first appeared in the weekly electronic newsletter, Pambazuka News. They provide an easy-to-read introduction to the struggle for women's rights in Africa. The contributors describe how African women won a cross-continental campaign for a protocol to protect their rights. In a rich variety of articles, they consider topics such as: women and conflict, the impact of current US policies on women's health in Africa, women's rights in Islam, and the implications of the Jacob Zuma trial for women in South Africa. 223pp, UK. FAHAMU & SOLIDARITY FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS.

The classic study of sex and gender roles in (primarily) Nigeria. Index, bib, apps, 223pp, UK. ZED BOOKS.

Sarah Baartman's iconic status as the Hottentot Venus - as victimized African woman, Mother of the new South Africa, and ancestral spirit to countless women of the African Diaspora - has led to countless essays, biographies, films, interviews, art installations, and research centres, comprising a virtual archive that seeks to find some meaning in her persona. Yet even those with the best intentions, fighting to give her agency, a voice, a personhood, continue to reinforce the outmoded European narrative of her life without asking What if we looked at Baartman through another lens? This collection, the first of its kind, offers a space in which international scholars, cultural activists, and visual artists examine the legacy of Baartman's life anew. It disrupts iconic, pop-culture narratives to seek an alternative Africanist rendering of a person whose life has left a profound impact on the ways in which Black women are displayed and represented the world over. 220pp, UK. PALGRAVE.

Translated from the English by Aminata Sow, Anna Bathily & Maimouna Ka. A landmark and long-awaited translation into French of Engendering African Social Sciences (Codesria 1997), this was one of the most pioneering works in the field of gender and social sciences in the African context, and remains an authoritative text. It is an extensively researched and forcefully argued study offering a critique and directions for gendering the social sciences in Africa. 461pp, SENEGAL. CODESRIA.

Demystifies the complex issues facing women in modern life and answers questions about the cause of today's most universal female complaint, exhaustion. Drawing upon a broad range of literature she delves into female self-sacrifice and finds that, although women hold their own in most fields, the idea that a woman's needs go unnoticed and unmet still persists. Argues that generations of women being stitched-up by cultural myths and religious beliefs that span centuries. Index, bib, 274pp, SOUTH AFRICA. JACANA MEDIA.