Introduction to Gender

Introduction to Gender

• The concept of gender is socially constructed and differs from biological sex.
• Gender refers to the socially and culturally prescribed ideas about behavior, actions, and roles that a particular sex performs and follows.
• Gender is fluid and constructed, unlike sex, which is definite.

Gender Equality

• The concept of gender equality implies that all human beings, both men and women, are free to develop their personal abilities and make choices without stereotypes, rigid gender roles, and prejudices.
• Gender equality means that different behaviors, aspirations, and needs of men and women are considered and valued equally.
• Rights, responsibilities, and opportunities are not dependent on whether a person is born male or female.

Gender Equity

• Gender equity refers to the fairness of treatment for women and men according to their respective needs and circumstances.
• Equity leads to equality, but it does not mean that men and women have to become the same.

Why is Gender an Important Issue in African Societies?

• Socio-cultural factors, such as social construction of society, discriminatory cultural practices, and discriminatory inheritance practices, contribute to gender inequality in African societies.
• Gender relations are reinforced by socialization, and socialization institutions like family, church, school, media, and work play a role in shaping gender roles.

Patriarchy

• Patriarchy is a social system where the role of the male as the primary authority figure is central to social organization.
• It implies the institutions of male rule and privilege, and is dependent on female subordination.
• Patriarchy is not limited to African societies, but is a global phenomenon that has manifested itself in different cultures and societies.

Masculinity

• Masculinity is a socially constructed concept that defines how boys should behave, be treated, dress, appear, and succeed.
• Hegemonic masculinity refers to the dominant form of masculinity in a society, which is oppressive to women and silences other masculinities.
• Masculinity can be precarious and susceptible to subversion because of its extraction from flawed depictions of femininity.

Elements of Gender Relations

• Division of labor: productive and reproductive roles, with male roles and responsibilities valued more than women's.
• Control of resources: land, power, labor, education, and training.
• Gender ideologies: socialization, changing gender norms and stereotypes.

Justifications for Dealing with Gender Inequalities

• Development imperatives: contributing to sustainable development, people-centered development.
• Citizenship rights and the constitution: all are equal, human rights are women's rights, women's rights are human rights.
• Gender equitable cultures: eliminating indiscriminate cultural practices, bias working cultures.

International Responses to Gender Inequality

• International agreements: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Beijing Platform for Action, Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development Goal 5.
• International conferences: Mexico City, Copenhagen, Nairobi, and Beijing conferences.

Historical Context to National Interventions

• Constitutional guarantees: equality before the law, protection of inheritance rights, and full integration of women into the mainstream of economic development.
• State actions: legal reform, policy reform, and establishment of institutions to promote gender equality.

Civil Society and Institutional Actions

• Civil society actions: labor unions, women's organizations, and advocacy groups.
• Institutional actions: research, education, and policy reform.

Affirmative Action

• A set of temporary measures to address systemic discrimination and exclusion of particular social groups.
• Types of affirmative action: direct and indirect, including quotas, reservations, and targeted investments.

Value of Affirmative Action

• Improves representation of women, provides a critical mass, and guarantees gender-balanced policy-making.
• Allows for the development of skills and brings them into decision-making structures.

Assessing Responses to Gender Inequality

• Progress has been made in promoting gender equality, but more needs to be done.
• Consciousness of gender equality has increased, and some issues are being addressed.
• More women are in politics, and legislations have been passed to address gender-based violence.

Introduction to African Studies

• The course aims to generate interest among students in African Studies.
• It provides background information on Africa and perspectives on its histories, peoples, and cultures.
• The course serves as a springboard for subsequent elective courses in African Studies.### Course Overview
• The course aims to enhance students' knowledge in specific areas of African Humanities and Social Sciences
• Course requirements include:
  • Interim assessment: 20% (Introduction to Gender) and 10% (Introduction to African Studies)
  • Main Elective: 30%
  • Final exam: 50%
• Course activities may include:
  • Formal instruction
  • Readings
  • Group discussions
  • Assignments
  • Presentations

The Value of African Studies

• The course aims to understand the distinctive nature of Africa
• To explain various (mis)representations of Africa
• To appreciate the significant contribution of Africa to world civilization
• To appreciate the African Identity

Who is an African?

• The concept of African identity is complex and multifaceted
• Factors that influence African identity include:
  • Legal (citizenship, parentage, naturalization)
  • Conceptual (philosophical, cultural, genetic)
  • Allegiance
• Examples of individuals who may be considered African include:
  • Barack Obama (former President of the United States)
  • Bob Marley (Reggae artist)
  • Dr. W.E.B. DuBois (Pan-Africanist scholar)
  • Nneka Egbuna (hip-hop/soul/reggae singer)

Defining Africanness

• Africanness is a complex and multilayered concept
• Factors that influence Africanness include:
  • Legal (citizenship, parentage, naturalization)
  • Conceptual (philosophical, cultural, genetic)
  • Allegiance
• There are various levels of Africanness, and some individuals may be more or less African than others
• African identities interface with other levels of identity and citizenship in Africa

African Diaspora

• The African Diaspora refers to the dispersal of Africans from the continent to other parts of the world
• Types of migration include:
  • Ancient Voluntary Migration (first humans to populate the rest of the world)
  • Forced Migration (Maafa/Maangamizi/Neshni, conflicts, colonialism)
  • Manipulated Migration (pursuit of economic interests, education, diplomatic postings)
• Examples of African Diaspora communities include:
  • Eastern Diaspora (Indigenous Black people of West Papua New Guinea, Australia)
  • Western Diaspora (Black People of Brazil, USA)

Misrepresenting Africa

• Africa has been and continues to be misrepresented in various ways, including:
  • Phrases that portray Africa as a continent of crisis, poverty, and conflict
  • Narratives that suggest Africa has no history, civilization, or development
• Examples of misrepresentations include:
  • Except Africa Narrative (development works everywhere in the world but in Africa)
  • Doomsday narratives (Africa is a continent of crisis, poverty, and conflict)

Good Representations of Africa

• Africa has contributed positively to global knowledge production and civilization in various areas, including:
  • Global Development (Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General)
  • Agriculture (coffee and cocoa production)
  • Academia (Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate)
  • International Trade and Commerce (Prof. Frederick M. Jones, Ethiopian Airlines)
  • ICT (Dr. Thomas Mensah, Prof. Nii Narku Quaynor)
  • Science (Souleymane Mboup)
• Examples of positive representations of Africa include:
  • Wole Soyinka (Nobel laureate and poet)
  • Chinua Achebe (author)
  • Ama Ata Aidoo (author)
  • Wangari Maathai (environmentalist and Nobel laureate)
  • Kwabena Nketia (musicologist and composer)

African Inventors and Innovators

• Africa has a rich history of innovation and invention, including:
  • Prof. Souleymane Mboup (HIV-2 virus discovery)
  • Dr. Oviemo Ovadje (blood auto-transfusion)
  • Samuel Todo (humanoid robot)
  • Jean-Patrice Keka (space rockets)
  • Prof. Francis K.A. Allotey (Allotey Principle)
  • Victor and Johnson Obasa (armored vehicle)
  • Simon Mwaura (multipurpose mobile remote control)
  • Prof. Nii Narku Quaynor (pioneer of designing and developing the internet)
  • Abdoulaye Toure (solar oven)
  • Philippe Yoda (plastic recycling)
  • Phillip Emeagwali (connection machine supercomputer)
  • Prof. Monty Jones (Nerica rice varieties)### Ethiopian Airlines: A Successful Commercial Venture
• Established by the Ethiopian government in 1945
• Has survived many crises in the airline industry since its establishment
• Has grown to become one of the major airlines in the world, flying a wide range of routes globally

What is African Studies

• A formally organized multi-disciplinary academic study of the continent of Africa and the African diaspora
• Three-dimensional study:
  • Research/knowledge production
  • Dissemination of knowledge and teaching
  • Application of knowledge/transformation of knowledge into policies and social action

Accessing Sources on Africa

• Archaeology: provides information on how humans adapted to their environment through excavation of selected sites
• Linguistics: study of the origin, structure, and changes of languages
  • E.g., Ga and Dangme languages may have developed from a single parent language
• Oral traditions: the lore (traditional knowledge and beliefs) of cultures having no written language
  • Often transmitted by specialists/experts, such as court historians
• Ancient Written Sources: Mdw Ntr (Hieroglyphics) developed in Africa
  • Source of writing systems that emerged later, such as Latin
• New Media: offers multiple sources of information on Africa, including internet, websites, and multimedia

Political Geography of Africa and Perspectives of African Culture

• Political Geography of Africa accounts for physical and conceptual presence of Africa and African cultures, political systems, and values across time and space
• Africa is the second largest continent after Asia, with a land area of approximately 11,700,000 km2
• Population of about 1.32 billion people live in Africa as of 2019
• Continental Africa stretches about 5000 miles from Cape Town to Cairo, and 3000 miles from Dakar to Mogadishu

Ali Mazrui's View of Africa

• Africa is the first habitat of man but the last to be made habitable
• Africans are not the most brutalized of all people but probably the most humiliated in modern history
• African societies are not the closest to the West culturally but have been experiencing the most rapid pace of Westernization
• Africa is not the poorest of all regions in resources but is the least developed of the inhabited continents
• Africa is not the smallest of continents but is probably the most fragmented

Pan-Africanism and the Pan-African Movement

• A movement that perceives Africans as sharing a common origin, history, destiny, and interests as a people of African descent
• Goals:
  • Create the United States of Africa
  • Ensure closer ties between people of African descent worldwide
  • Bring about friendlier relations between people of African descent and other races
  • Secure civil rights of all Africans in the world
  • Promote African businesses/commerce globally

Legacies of PAM

• Independence for African/Caribbean states
• Formation of the OAU/AU
• Global civil rights for people of African descent
• African Studies/Afrocentrism
• Formation of ACP - African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States

2019: The Year of Return

• Commemorates the 400th year of the recorded landing of enslaved Africans in English colony of Jamestown, Virginia
• Ghana declared 2019 as the Year of Return to mark the occasion
• Reasons:
  • Ghana's role in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
  • Ghana's lead in promoting Pan-Africanism in Africa
  • Pilgrimage destination for the African Diaspora

Culture and Language

• Culture is a set of rules and procedures for meeting the needs of a group, supported by a set of ideas and values
• Culture is that whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual, and emotional features that characterize a society or social group
• African languages have words for culture, but definitions may vary