In recent years there have been significant improvements in the number of women elected to parliament in Africa. However, there is little indication that this is translating into better developmental outcomes, and indeed there is mounting evidence that it could in fact help to bolster some authoritarian regimes. Starting from the premise that politics is a far broader project than securing a seat in national or local legislatures alone, this book explores the opportunities for women's political participation across a number of informal spaces where women and men gather, organise and interact in a more regular and systematic manner. Combining insights from political science, sociology and feminist theory and drawing on detailed cases from the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Rwanda, it examines how power in its multiple dimensions circulates across a range of everyday political spaces, while drawing attention to the links between domestic gender inequalities and the global political economy.
Inviting scholars, practitioners and activists to broaden their focus beyond formal electoral institutions if they want to support women to become more politically active, this book provides fresh insights into major issues at the heart of African studies, development studies, gender and development, democratisation, and international relations.
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Professor Aili Mari Tripp, Wangari Maathai Professor of Political Science & Gender and Women's Studies, Co-Editor, American Political Science Review, Department of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
"This book transcends the WID/GAD development literature to incorporate different bodies of theory, such as post-structuralism and discourse theory. It connects theoretical premises with varied empirical research in Africa, weaving a rich tapestry of insights and novel understandings. It deftly navigates different aspects of gender politics such as substantive representation, informal networks, protest and institutional politics, looking to Asia for solutions. I look forward to using it with my students."
Professor Amanda Gouws, SARChI Chair in Gender Politics, Department of Political Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa








