Gender and Sexuality in Senegalese Societies: Critical Perspectives and Methods

(Hardback)

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Drawing from the diverse fields of postcolonial studies, literary studies, history, anthropology, sociology, political science, environmental studies, and development studies, among others, Gender and Sexuality in Senegalese Societies demonstrates the urgency and necessity of new research in gender and queer studies in and on Senegalese societies. By focusing on subjects that have thus far been largely neglected in national and scholarly debates, the chapters are subversive, complex, and inclusive, centering within Senegalese studies themes and elements of alternative, nonbinary, variant, and nonheteronormative gender identities, sexualities, and voices. Contributors demonstrate that nationalist and anticolonial discourses propelled by deep and lingering socioeconomic inequalities have led, in postcolonial Senegal, to vitriolic scapegoating of individuals and communities with variant sexual and gender identities. The chapters in this volume look inward to the voices and experiences of the Senegalese people to challenge nationalist representations of advocacy for the liberation of gender and sexual minorities in Senegal as a function of a Western neocolonialist agenda.

Reviews

Gender and Sexuality in Senegalese Societies is a welcome addition to the vibrant field of African gender and sexuality studies. Readers who want to take a deep dive into the complexity of gender and sexuality in Senegal will be pleased with the interdisciplinary contributions. The volume addresses timely issues, including girlhood, widow inheritance, and homophobia in Senegal. -- Ashley Currier, University of Cincinnati and author of Politicizing Sex in Contemporary Africa: Homophobia in Malawi

Author Bio

Babacar M'Baye is professor of English and pan-African studies at Kent State University. Besi Brillian Muhonja is associate professor of African, African American, and diaspora studies, and womens, gender and sexuality studies in the Department of English at James Madison University.