Women Researching in Africa

Description

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. Front Matter ....Pages i-xx Women Researching in Africa: The Impact of Gender (Ruth Jackson, Max Kelly)....Pages 1-24 Front Matter ....Pages 25-25 ‘Gone Native?’: Reflections of a Feminist Tightrope Walker’s Research on ‘Land Grabbing’ and the Dilemmas of ‘Fieldworking’ While Parenting (Rama Salla Dieng)....Pages 27-50 Identity and Experience in Malawi: Challenges and Observations (Joanna Woods)....Pages 51-67 Navigating Gender Performance: Ethics and Culture in Researching Family Care for Cancer Patients in Ghana (Deborah Atobrah)....Pages 69-91 When in Rome…: Navigating Decolonial Research as a Diasporic Black Woman (Lioba Hirsch)....Pages 93-108 Reflections on the Dilemmas of Feminist Fieldwork in Africa (Tanya Lyons)....Pages 109-128 Front Matter ....Pages 129-129 Researching the Rural: A Mzungu Loose in Africa (Max Kelly)....Pages 131-151 Women and Anthropologists in West Africa: Comparing Two Research Experiences (Ester Botta Somparé, Mara Vitale)....Pages 153-170 Constant Questioning On-and-Off the Page: Race, Decolonial Ethics and Women Researching in Africa (Amber Murrey)....Pages 171-192 Lessons Learned on Research Methods and Researcher Stance in Africa (Jody McBrien)....Pages 193-213 Front Matter ....Pages 215-215 Challenges and Opportunities of Doing Fieldwork as a Woman on Women in Guinea (Carole Ammann)....Pages 217-234 On Walking Alone and Walking with Others: Framing Research Activities by Time and Distance in Kafa Zone, Ethiopia (Ruth Jackson)....Pages 235-255 Gender and Positionality: Opportunities, Challenges, and Ethical Dilemmas in Ghana and Sierra Leone (Vanessa van den Boogaard)....Pages 257-275 Historiography of African Market Women (Mutiat Titilope Oladejo)....Pages 277-298 Women Researching Africa: Linking Experience to Practice (Max Kelly, Ruth Jackson)....Pages 299-311 Back Matter ....Pages 313-317