Challenging Contexts: Gender Studies and Geography in Anglophone African Countries

Abstract

Gender equity has been acknowledged as critical to the equitable and sustainable development of Anglophone Africa, with much work at various levels in the region since the early 1990s. In higher education, this has included the introduction of courses on women and gender, an increase in studies on gender and place, and networking among feminist scholars and activists. While geographers have made significant contributions to the discourse, these have not translated into the mainstreaming of gender into sub-areas in the discipline nor to an examination of how gendered attributes are socially constructed or to the nature of space-time variations in femininity and masculinity. This paper provides an overview of recent developments in Anglophone African countries in the study of women and of gender studies in general. It offers case studies of work in geography within Ghana and South Africa. In so doing, it locates gender and women’s studies in relation to international women’s movements and African contexts. It also traces how gender studies have evolved and outlines challenges and potential trajectories for future directions.