International Workshop : Gender, Law and Political Activism in West Africa

Wednesday the 9^th and Thursday the 10^th of October 2024, Olufunke Adeboye (University of Lagos), Barbara Morovich (IFRA-Nigeria), Marième N’Diaye (CNRS-Les Afriques dans le Monde), Sara Panata (CNRS-Les Afriques dans le Monde) are organizing two study days in the context of the GLOW (Gender, Law and Political Activism in West Africa) project. The study days will take place in person at Sciences Po Bordeaux, more information about the program available here.

Research on the role of African women in nation-building processes during the 20^th and 21^st centuries has developed over the last forty years. Many studies have focused on women’s movements and mobilizations. The literature analysing the interactions between gender and law in Africa has gradually developed into a dynamic, multidisciplinary field of research (Ndengue 2016, Idriss 2019, Panata 2020, Barthélémy 2022). However, this literature has developed in unequal ways across the continent (Coquery-Vidrovitch 2007). For decades, women have been mobilizing for legal recognition of gender equality, yet the intersection between women’s mobilizations and the law remains largely unexplored. The GLOW research programme aims to bridge this gap by conducting studies that explore the intersection of gender, activism, and law in West Africa from the 20th to the 21st century. By examining the history of women’s mobilisations for legal rights, the project seeks to provide a fresh perspective on the political and social history of the region during both the colonial and post-colonial periods. It aims to offer new insights into the legal construction of political and social inequalities over time.