Rural African Women
Misrepresentations, Misconceptions, and Towards a Remedy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36399/GroundingsUG.4.245Keywords:
Rural, African, Women, Marginalisation, Representation, Oral HistoryAbstract
The history of rural African women has been beset by problems. Traditional academic disciplines, in aspiring to a standard of objectivity and validity, have tended towards broad generalisations which obliterate the experiences of marginalised groups. Scholarly obsession with documentary evidence has inadvertently silenced voices in the non-literate world. Meanwhile the socially ingrained proverbs and folktales of Africa contain flawed representations of women. This situation has given rise to warped perceptions which not only conceal the truth but contribute to the subjugation of women. Oral history offers a remedy: by speaking directly to rural African women about their lives, we can give them a voice, gain insights into their pasts, debunk the myths and fill in the gaps in their history, with a view to changing perceptions in both Africa and the western world.
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Copyright (c) 2011 Hannah Currie
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