Missing Links: African Media Studies and Feminist Concerns

Abstract

Political and economic developments in many African countries in the last two decades have led to significant transformations in the media and enhanced academic scholarship in the field. Despite the tremendous growth and the changes in media and communication systems, there is a dearth of feminist media scholarship in Africa that needs to be addressed. This article provides a feminist reappraisal of African media in the context of democratic and economic change and proposes a tall research agenda for Africanist feminists aimed at filling the gaps in media and gender scholarship. The author argues that research should interrogate afresh old concerns as well as new opportunities and challenges brought about by redemocratization, an expanded public sphere of civil society activism, rapid technological developments and legal and policy reforms of the media.