Feminist pedagogy and social change: the impact of the caribbean institute in gender and development

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the utility of a feminist pedagogical framework in establishing and organising the Caribbean Institute in Gender and Development (CIGAD), which is a biennial intensive gender and development training programme that has taken place in Barbados since 1993. To highlight the major impact that CIGAD has had in educating and empowering Caribbean men and women, the authors will first discuss the importance of feminist pedagogies in teaching, learning and activism in this programme by locating them within an intersectional postcolonial/transnational framework. Secondly, the authors consider the ways in which feminist pedagogy and praxis have been central in training women and men in the Caribbean region in gender analysis, helping them recognise the important role gender plays in development planning and policy as well as how it can be integrated into their work to improve their communities. Finally, through a feminist dialogic, participatory and experiential approach, the authors assess the impact that the CIGAD has had on participants, and community development training will be discussed based on the monitoring and evaluation of the exercise completed in 2014.

KEYWORDS:

• Postcolonial theory
• critical pedagogies
• gender mainstreaming
• women
• curriculum
• focus groups
• inclusive education
• Caribbean

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. CIGAD is hosted by the Institute for Gender and Development Studies: Nita Barrow Unit at The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.

2. Feminists and social activists such as Eudine Barriteau, Peggy Antrobus, Kathleen Drayton, Diane Cummins, Joy Workman and others were pivotal in spearheading the CIGAD.

3. Throughout the years, donor agencies have included UNIFEM (now UN Women), Caribbean Development Bank, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and the British High Commission.

4. Facilitators include the institute for gender and development studies (IGDS) faculty from Cave Hill and St Augustine campuses, feminist academics and activists, scholars, NGO representatives and consultants.