To what extent are gender and femininity part of the political system in the African context? How do gender norms and political practices interact with each other? While female presence in political instances has increased in many African countries, we still witness clashes between gender tropes, local understandings of what is ‘normal’, and the various ways women define and act upon their social and political agency. We are looking for one or two more participants for what is going to be a round table (so not traditional paper panel), where we share and discuss our findings in different countries on the continent of women using their femininity as a political tool to have their voices heard, and in the process, construct diverse ways of ‘normalcy’ when it comes to women’s place in politics. We explore ideas of respectability, global norms of gender equality translated into local contexts, traditional concepts used as a form of feminine political engagement, formal women’s organizations and various other ways to expand our understanding of what it means to normalize gendered political practices in Africa further.
Please email us at slim@bates.edu or eriley@colmex.mx or mkilimo@wooster.edu with a 200-word abstract of what your research and contribution to the round table might look like before March 14.
We look forward to sharing our experience and knowledge with like-minded scholars who are working within the large boundaries of sexuality, femininity and women in politics from various fields.
Preferred emails: slim@bates.edu or eriley@colmex.mx or mkilimo@wooster.edu
Date by which to submit: before Thursday March 14 2024
