‘What is gender to you?’: An Africana Womanist take on perceptions of gender reality on women’s agency among a rural Malawian Community

ABSTRACT

Historically, knowledge about African gender reality has predominantly been through a Western canon of feminism. However, overtime, there have been alternative theorisations influenced by African feminisms and African gender scholars. This article draws from a study that aims to illustrate alternative and decolonial knowledge about Malawian gender reality with a specific focus on participants’ expressions of agency. Africana Womanism is utilised in making sense of participant data as it is rooted in an emphasis of the unique socio-cultural and historical context of African women and men such as those participating in the study. The article extends knowledge on ‘resisting dominant discourses’ within gender education and research.

KEYWORDS:

• Africana Womanism
• decolonial gender education
• agency
• gender in Africa

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 See Freire (2013) on banked education and its challenges.

2 The research was approved by the NSD-Norwegian Centre for Research Data, under reference number 215609.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mtisunge Isabel Kamlongera

Dr Mtisunge Isabel Kamlongera has a PhD in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education from Oslo Metropolitan University in Norway. She has an interest in critical approaches to research within the fields of gender, media and development. Her research efforts are geared towards a decolonial approach to telling narratives, discovering, and creating knowledge together with marginalized groups.

Alinane Kamlongera Katenga-Kaunda

Dr Alinane Kamlongera Katenga-Kaunda has a PhD in Sociology with specialization in Child Care and Gender in Comparative Social Work from Nordland University in Norway. She has over 10 years' experience working in the field of gender, coordination, development, and humanitarian action. Dr Kamlongera Katenga-Kaunda is also a published author.