Universität Wien
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140377 SE T IV - Gender Theory and Research methods in Africa (2010W)

6.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 14 - Orientalistik, Afrikanistik, Indologie und Tibetologie
Continuous assessment of course work

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 01.02. 15:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum SG3 Gender-Studies, Sensengasse 3, Bauteil 1
  • Tuesday 08.02. 15:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum SG3 Gender-Studies, Sensengasse 3, Bauteil 1
  • Thursday 10.02. 15:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum SG3 Gender-Studies, Sensengasse 3, Bauteil 1
  • Tuesday 15.02. 15:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum SG3 Gender-Studies, Sensengasse 3, Bauteil 1
  • Thursday 17.02. 15:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum SG3 Gender-Studies, Sensengasse 3, Bauteil 1
  • Tuesday 22.02. 15:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum SG3 Gender-Studies, Sensengasse 3, Bauteil 1
  • Thursday 24.02. 15:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum SG3 Gender-Studies, Sensengasse 3, Bauteil 1

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

By offering a historical and critical study of contemporary gender theory applied to the study of Africa, this seminar aims to explore the challenge of feminist and gender theory research methods for research in Africa. Students will be introduced to a variety of theoretical perspectives allowing them to confront feminist and gender theory with the historical and cultural diversity of Africa. The course especially focuses on the African context, however most of the topics discussed during the semester are still relevant for Asia and Latin America.
This course takes as a basic premise that theory is valuable only as it relates to and affects conditions in the real world. Thus, students will have to explore diverse feminist and gender studies research methods in order to develop research and interpretative skills for undertaking their own quantitative and qualitative cross-cultural research. In that sense, field and archival research and the methodological issues they raised in the African context will be especially stressed. Topics to be discussed include, but are certainly not limited to: Essentializing and its discontents; The Other and otherness; "Third World" feminism; Feminist readings of postcolonial theories; African Gender and Women's History; Gender and development in Africa; Gender and the African diaspora. Theorists will include Oyèrónké Oyewúmí, Gayatri Spivak, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, bell hooks, Anne McClintock, etc.

Assessment and permitted materials

Film and book reviews; critical readings & active participation in the class; group presentation; essay

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

- Acquisition of a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of contemporary gender theory applied to a cross-cultural context
- Opportunity for students to reflect on the relevance of these approaches to their prospective areas of research, especially in connection to methodological application
- Critical evaluation of books, journals and other sources of information relevant to the topic studied in the course.

Examination topics

We will approach this seminar in three ways. First, the lecturer will present both narratives and interpretations of the topics under consideration. Second, the readings for each session will pursue the topics discussed, presenting a range of case studies and interpretations. Third, discussion and oral presentations will enable students to engage and discuss readings and specific topics of interest with one another as well as the instructor.

Reading list

Anne McClintock (1995) Imperial Leather: Race, Gender and Sexuality in the Colonial Conquest. Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press.
Andrea Cornwall, ed. (2005) Readings in Gender in Africa. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Aili Mari Tripp, Isabel Casimiro, Joy Kwesiga, Alice Mungwa (2009) African Women's Movements: Changing Political Landscapes. New York: Cambridge University Press Oyèrónké,Oyewùmì ed. (2004) African Women & Feminism. Reflecting On The Politics Of Sisterhood. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, Inc.
Oyèrónké Oyewùmì, ed. (2005) African Gender Studies. A Reader. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Ifi Amadiume (1997) Reinventing Africa. Matriarchy, Religion & Culture. London: Zed Books Ltd

Association in the course directory

T IV; GA.SE.2 (GA.3.)

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:35