Researching women and gender in Africa: Present realities, future directions

Abstract

The chapter grapples with the hydra-headed challenges facing research with women and on gender in Africa. By engaging with the work of African feminists, the chapter explores the key debates that have over the last three decades shaped the landscape of research on women and gender in Africa. These debates not only examine ontological and epistemological concerns but also methodological problems that African feminists and other researchers have had to confront. Firstly, the chapter situates debates around contestations of neoliberal globalization marked by corporate domination that has had a striking impact on women and gender in Africa. This sets the stage to deliberate on how historicization and contextualization are necessary to overcome distortions in concepts and assumptions underlying knowledge production in Africa. A key aspect of this also includes a critical reflection on methodology which makes the case for decolonization as a process of ethical reconstruction. Finally, the chapter identifies key areas for further research.