Women and Gender in African History

“You strike a woman, you strike a rock!” Versions of this rallying cry have animated women’s movements against colonialism and postcolonial oppression around the African continent. This course examines the changing politics of gender across modern sub-Saharan African history, to understand changing forms of state power, private life, and public culture on the continent. We investigate four questions: How can we understand the history of gender in Africa before 19th century colonialism? What role did gender play in the rise and fall of colonialism? How have gender relations changed in postcolonial Africa? Finally, how have the meanings of gender been different in African history than in other historical contexts? We answer these questions through case studies from around the continent, reading both classic and new scholarship and examining a diverse array of written, oral, visual, and musical primary sources.