Women and Collective Action in Africa

This book examines women's movements and women's collective action in Africa. Steady begins her examination in pre-colonial times, moving through the colonial period to the present. She looks at the various arenas which collective action has and can influence, comparing the impact on economic growth, education, democratizations, family formation, and women's rights. Steady uses Sierra Leone as the focus of her inquiry, in order for a detailed story to illustrate larger themes, but in every area makes comparisons to different parts of Africa; the case study here guides a larger inquiry. Written as a text, the book carefully explains the theoretical ideas (e.g., all key terms are defined, and then there is a discussion of how they relate to African issues specifically) and the historical knowledge (e.g., all historical events are described, there is no assumption of knowledge of African history) necessary to understand the meaning of current women's groups. What results is a clear and comprehensive treatment of an issue which is increasingly central to understanding changes taking place on the African continent today.

'Here is yet another remarkable intervention by Filomena Steady, adding to her widely used scholarship on gender and feminism. Using Freetown, Sierra Leone, as a detail, Steady unfolds the agenda of an array of local women's organizations comparing them to their counterparts at regional, continental and international levels. Eloquently and persuasively, Steady demonstrates how women have utilized collective action to influence development. She advocates the building of alliances with other movements continentally and internationally for the transformation of a corporate controlled global economy, without which gender justice is an illusion.' - Micere Githae Mugo, African American Studies, Syracuse University

'Women and Collective Action in Africa fills an important space in the women's movements literature because it is African centered, comparative, interdisciplinary, and directly attuned to the needs and experiences of women from Africa and those from the Global South. The goal is for African women leaders, associations, and activists to understand the essential elements of their own feminisms, African feminisms, as they address their own histories and their own situations.' - Lynn Bolles, Professor of Women's Studies, Affiliate Faculty Anthropology, African American Studies, Comparative Literature and American Studies, University of Maryland College Park

'Revisiting development and feminist theories with great insight, this original work by a pioneer of African gender/women's studies argues for theoretical frameworks that take into account local socioeconomic conditions and cultural imperatives. Writing forcefully with great clarity, Professor Steady offers new ideas and refreshing interpretations that expand the boundaries of knowledge. This accessible work is indeed a welcome addition to the study of African women and social movements.' - Obioma Nnaemeka, Professor of French and Women's Studies, Indiana University, Indianapolis, and President of the Association of African Women Scholars.

FILOMINA STEADY is Professor and Chair of Africana Studies at Wellesley College, USA.