Colonialism and gender in Africa: A critical history

Abstract

This chapter offers a critical account of the history of colonialism and gender on the African continent, paying attention to the diversities and complexities which these two social and political processes produced in their interaction with one another across space and time. While historians and feminist writers have elucidated the complementary roles of men and women in pre-colonial African periods, the process of pacification and establishment of colonial administration had profound implications on existing intergroup structures. Colonial institutions gave more recognition to men than were given to women. Colonialism thus affected different aspects of African females' lives in relation to their male counterparts in the society. This chapter thus examines the import of the colonial enterprise for gender identification, gender roles, and gender stratification in Africa using historical lens. While it is acknowledged that gender is not just a synonym for women, but also applies to men and masculinity, emphasis is placed on women in the discussion of how power is shaped by gender relations and resistance to colonial rule and the ways in which the colonialists specifically ignored women in Africa, serving as a precursor to current inequities in gender relations. The chapter utilizes examples from within African communities in Africa to illustrate its points in respect of the complex interfaces of colonialism and gender in historical and contemporary perspective.