“Feminists make too much noise!” Generational differences and ambivalence in feminist development politics in Ghana” in Canadian Journal of African Studies, 52 (1), 1-17
Despite the crucial role feminist movements play in securing progressive development policies, legislation and socio-legal protections for women, labeling women’s rights issues as feminist has contradictory, mostly negative, effects on the women’s movement in Africa. This paper discusses research findings that show that older women (activists) are more likely to self-identify as feminists than younger women in Ghana. I argue that, while resistance to feminism may have roots in anti-imperialism, socio-cultural and economic privileges play a crucial role in such resistance at an individual level. Based on findings discussed in the paper I suggest the following. First, the perceived threat of feminism to African socio-cultural norms dialectically enhances opportunities for advancing women’s rights in development planning through a more transformative civil liberties route as opposed to a “special victims’ unit” approach. Second, further empirical research is needed to assess the impact of various intersecting variables (class, age, ethnicity, sexuality, religion and geographical location) on feminist politics in Africa.
Sylvia Bawa is an Associate Professor in York University’s Department of Sociology. Her research and teaching interests include globalization, postcolonial and transnational feminisms, human rights, critical development theory and women’s rights.
Other publications from this author include:
- “‘People come and go but we don’t see anything’: How Might Social Research Contribute to Social Change?” in The Qualitative Report, 24 (11) (2019)
- “Women and the Human Rights Paradigm in the African Context” in International Human Rights of Women (2019)
- “Agency, Social Status and Performing Marriage in Postcolonial Societies” in Journal of Asian and African Studies, 54 (7) (2019)
- “(Un)African women: identity, class and moral geographies in postcolonial times” in African Identities, 16 (4) (2018)