Transatlantic Feminisms: Women and Gender Studies in Africa and the Diaspora

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Description

Transatlantic Feminisms is an interdisciplinary collection of original feminist research on womens lives in Africa and the African diaspora. Demonstrating the power and value of transcontinental connections and exchanges between feminist thinkers, this unique collection of fifteen essays addresses the need for global perspectives on gender, ethnicity, race and class. Examining diverse topics and questions in contemporary feminist research, the authors describe and analyze womens lives in a host of vibrant, compelling locations. There are essays exploring womens political activism in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Santo Domingo, Jamaica and Tanzania. Other essays explore representation and creativity in Brazil, Nigeria, and Miami. While one essay examines African women as conflicted immigrants in France, another recounts the experiences of Haitian women trying to survive in the Dominican Republic. Core themes of the book include the evolution of black feminism; black feminist political leadership; the politics of identity and representation; and struggles for agency and survival. These themes are interwoven throughout the volume and illuminate different geographic and cultural experiences, yet very similar oppressive forces and forms of resistance.

Reviews

This edited collection is the embodiment of feminism without borders at its finest, as it explores commonalities and divergences in the lives of women of African descent, from Africa to the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe. This exciting book breaks new ground in reconceptualizing feminism in ways that go beyond Western and US Black feminist thought. It contributes to the diversity of global feminisms by articulating and theorizing new understandings of feminism based on the lived experiences and struggles of women in Africa and the African diaspora. -- Aili Mari Tripp, Professor of Political Science and Gender & Womens Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
This timely collection of essays brings an impressive array of transatlantic feminist voices into a shared conversation. The volume reflects and emerges from an exemplary ethic of inclusion that provides ample space for the differently-situated perspectives of Africans, African descendants, and kindred-thinking allies. The analytical and substantive issues they address are imperative for building the sociopolitical solidarity and epistemic cross-fertilization needed to advance the production and application of feminist knowledge. -- Faye V. Harrison, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Transatlantic Feminisms: Women and Gender Studies in Africa and the Diaspora is clear evidence of the development and maturation of Black feminist thought on Africa and the African diaspora since the 1980s. Comprehensive in scope, it is a transnational and interdisciplinary journey of scholarly insights grounded in rigorous ethnographic methods, astute socioeconomic and political analysis, community engagement, literary interpretations, and historical reflections. Each author's burning concern and commitment to telling authentic global narratives of Black women undergird their contribution. -- Irma McClaurin, McClaurin Solutions

Author Bio

Cheryl Rodriguez is chair of the Department of Africana Studies and director of the Institute on Black Life at the University of South Florida. Dzodzi Tsikata is associate professor at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) at the University of Ghana. Akosua Adomako Ampofo is professor of African and gender studies and director of the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana.