Ibadan market women were active in political mobilization and they engaged in eclectic political actions during the decolonization process. Their leaders significantly swayed the electorate both in and beyond the market places. This study examines the historical development of the roles of Ibadan market women in politics between 1900 and 1995 with a view to establishing their contributions. By a thorough historical analysis, Ibadan Divisional and Provincial papers, and newspapers of the nationalists’ era (1945-1960)-Nigerian Tribune and Southern Nigerian Defender from the National Archives Ibadan were consulted for information on the activities of Ibadan market women. Secondary data were obtained from the Women Research and Documentation Centre and other resource centres. Simultaneously, Ibadan market women were involved in party politics of the National Council for Nigeria and Cameroons (NCNC); Action Group (AG); and traditional power politics.

This edited collection explores the lives, consequences and motivations of female researchers in Africa, giving unprecedented insights into how their gender—and sometimes their ethnicity and age—impacted on their research experiences, and how doing research in Africa affected them as women. Each contributor considers her place or position in the research process and provides a vivid portrait of that experience. Drawing on research findings from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Malawi, Uganda and other African countries, the book looks at gender and identity as a female researcher in Africa; relationships with 'others'; and unique methodological challenges for female researchers in Africa. With refreshing candour, each chapter challenges other researchers in Africa (both women and men), to integrate critical reflections of gender and diverse gendered field experiences into their work. Women Researching in Africa will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of disciplines including development studies, anthropology, geography, gender studies and international studies.

Woman in twentieth century colonial Africa experienced a loss of power in their social-economic status. The Women Went Radical provides a narrative of radical expressions extracted from the numerous petitions written to advance and advocate the cause of Yoruba women through individual and collective action. This analyses the impact and implication of petition writing on the administration of traditional and modern governments in colonial Yorubaland. The political context accurately projects the roles of women in influencing, resisting, negotiating and counteracting policies within the political system. The research argues that petition writing is a form of politics and radicalism that is not limited to national issues but also to their manifestation from the actions of the citizens—that is ‘politics from the grassroots’.

Good governance is an index of human development. What constitutes good governance is holistic and gender issues are key components in the formation and practice of governance. In pre-colonial Africa, governance is inclusive of men and women. In the pre-colonial era, it could be argued that women had spheres of power and powerlessness. In most post-colonial societies of Africa, it is a rarity to accord women positions in government. Yet, the United Nations Conferences held in Copenhagen (1980), Nairobi (1985), Beijing (1995) and New York (2000), all had drafts and resolutions to change inequalities and vulnerabilities women encounter in public and private spaces. What are the issues to understand in the inclusion or exclusion of women in governance of African states and societies? This book explicates the experiential issues in gender, politics and governance. The 'known' are the stereotypes accorded to women as weak and unfit to take strategic roles in public life. Scholars across disciplines have debunked this perception. The known constantly linger in perpetuity because the development plans of African states fail to understand what it takes to have women empowered in all ramifications.

From the local to the global, Yoruba people cherish textile consumption and fashion in everyday life. Central to this is the role of Yoruba women in the making of a fashion culture. As this book shows, textile commodities are entangled in global economic histories, yet the local consumption culture has created a fashion industry that portrays new ways of work and talent display beyond the twentieth century. This text is useful for researchers who wish to gain deeper insights into a critical, but often neglected, aspect of being Yoruba.

Social Protection is an area of policy and development in Africa responsible for ensuring inclusive growth and the provision of social needs which sustain human well-being. This book contains essays which analyse the role of government and non-government organisations in the provision of social protection needs for citizens in Africa, and reflect the socio-political and economic considerations underlying policy implementation. The essayists come from various disciplines such as geography, history, technology, political science and gender studies.

Claude E. Ake, radical African political philosopher of the first four decades of the postcolonial era, stands out as a progressive social force whose writings continue to have appeal and relevance long after his untimely death in 1996. In examining Ake’s intellectual works, Jeremiah O. Arowosegbe sets out the framework of his theoretical orientations in the context of his life, and reveals him as one of the most fertile and influential voices within the social sciences community in Africa. In tracing the genesis and development of Ake’s political thought, Arowosegbe draws attention to Ake’s compelling account of the material implications and political costs of European colonisation of Africa and his conception of a different future for the continent. Approaching his subject from a Gramscian and Marxist perspective, Arowosegbe elucidates how Ake’s philosophy demonstrates the intimate entanglement of class and social, cultural and historical issues, and how, as a contributor to endogenous knowledge production and postcolonial studies on Africa, Ake is firmly rooted in a South-driven critique of Western historicism. It is Arowosegbe’s conviction that engaged scholars are uniquely important in challenging existing hierarchies, oppressive institutions, and truth regimes – and the structures of power that produce and support them; and much can be drawn from their contributions and failings alike. This work contributes to a hitherto neglected focus area: the impact across the continent of the ideas and lives of African and other global South academics, intellectuals and scholar-activists. Among them, Ake is representative of bold scholarly initiatives in asserting the identities of African and other non-Western cultures through a mindful rewriting of the intellectual and nationalist histories of these societies on their own terms. In foregrounding the contribution of Ake with respect to both autochthonous traditional insights and endogenous knowledge production on the continent, Arowosegbe aims at fostering the continuance of a living and potent tradition of critique and resistance. Engaging with the lingering impact of colonialism on previously colonised societies, this timely book will be of immense value to scholars and students of philosophy and political science as well as African intellectual history, African studies, postcolonial studies and subaltern studies.

Africa and India have a long history of people-to-people contact, as well as cultural, educational and economic exchanges based on mutual interests. They also share imperial and post-imperial experiences. The longstanding relations between the two continents experienced a new twist and a giant leap forward following the Africa-India summit in 2008. However, recently a series of violent incidents against the growing sub-Saharan African communities in India has taken centre stage and made global news headlines: the Indian and international media have portrayed violent and deadly assaults on sub-Saharan Africans in India as prejudice, discrimination, and racism. This book provides a collection of studies that examine prejudice, discrimination, and racism towards Blackness in India with a special focus on the lived experiences of sub-Saharan Africans and Siddhis (Afro-Indians). In addition, the topics in this volume cover ideological, cultural, and linguistic affinities between Africa and India. The volume is divided into four parts of two chapters each: the first two chapters introduce the focus of the book on sub-Saharan Africans living in India. These are followed by two contributions that examine prejudice, discrimination, and racism towards Africans and Siddhis. Two further essays theorise prejudice and racism in India and the ways they are experienced by sub-Saharan Africans and Siddhis. The final two chapters of the book explore ideological, linguistic, and cultural affinities between India and Africa. The volume also features contributions by two prominent Africanists. The Foreword is written by Professor Souleymane Bachir Diagne, the Director of the Institute of African Studies at Columbia University. Professor Diagne was awarded the Edouard Glissant Prize for his work in 2011 and the Frantz Fanon Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. The Afterword is authored by Professor Aparajita Biswas, the former Director of the Centre for African Studies at the University of Mumbai and the current President of the African Studies Association of India. Professor Biswas is one of India’s most respected Africanists with an extensive publication record on African topics and numerous teaching, research and fellowship positions in universities across the world.

The book argues that women's perspectives and gender issues must be mainstreamed across African philosophy in order for the discipline to truly represent the thoughts of Africans across the continent. African philosophy as an academic discipline emerged as a direct challenge to Western and Eurocentric hegemonies. It sought to actualize the project of decolonization and to contribute African perspectives to global discourses. There has, however, been a dominance of male perspectives in this field of human knowledge. This book argues that African philosophy cannot claim to have liberated people of African descent from marginalization until the androcentric nature of African philosophy is addressed. Key concepts such as Ujamaa, Negritude, Ubuntu, Consciencism, and African Socialism are explored as they relate to African women's lives or as models of inclusion or exclusion from politics. In addition to offering a feminist critique of African philosophy, the book also discusses topics that have been consistently overlooked in African philosophy. These topics include sex, sexuality, rape, motherhood, prostitution, and the low participation of women in politics. By highlighting the work of women feminist scholars such as Oyeronke Oyewumi, Nkiru Nzegwu, Ifi Amadiume, Amina Mama, and Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, the book engages with African philosophy from an African feminist viewpoint. This book will be an essential resource for students and researchers of African philosophy and gender studies.