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Dominant Male Ideology and Female Options: Three East African Case Studies1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2012

Christine Obbo
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Extract

The aim of the essay is to highlight gaps in existing knowledge of African women and bring to light new queries. The argument being presented is that African women assert their individuality by exploring the options available within their respective societies. While it is unsafe to generalize about Africa, the dominance of men in the public, especially the political and ritual spheres, is well illustrated by ethnographies on Africa. Women are on the whole invisible or shadowy figures except in a handful of ethnographies that take a woman's perspective (for example, Leith-Ross, 1939; Kaberry, 1952; and Paulme (ed.), 1963). The ideology of male dominance is taken for granted as representative of the true state of affairs between men and women in Africa. Whereas every researcher probably knows that ideologies are not realities, somehow that knowledge becomes insignificant when dealing with African societies.

Résumé

LES POSSIBILITES OFFERTES AUX FEMMES A L'INTERIEUR D'UNE IDEOLOGIE A PREDOMINANCE MASCULINE

La réalité sociale ne se conforme généralement pas à l'idéologie. Les membres d'une société apprennent sans cesse les règles sur lesquelles est fondée cette dernière, les modifient, agissent sur elles ou les rejettent. Cette étude examine la manière dont certaines femmes n'ont cessé d'améliorer leur position sociale sans dévier des normes d'une société à l'intérieur de laquelle le rapport des pouvoirs entre les sexes demeure assymétrique. L'analyse s'attache à élucider les diverses possibilités qui s'offrent à la masse des Africaines dans les zones urbaines et rurales. Le fait que de telles possibilités existent est ici l'élément fondamental qui demeure plus important que le nombre même des femmes qui les adoptent. De plus, nous affirmons qu'on ne peut vraiment comprendre la position des Africaines que dans la mesure où l'on aura examiné avec soin le cadre conceptuel dans lequel elles évoluent. Il existe à l'intérieur des systèmes de clan et de lignage des possibilités ou des variations qui permettent aux individus de mener une vie pleine. Ainsi, le mariage de femme à femme et famille matrifocale (en ville ou à la campagne) représentent quelques unes de ces possibilités.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 46 , Issue 4 , October 1976 , pp. 371 - 389
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 1976

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