African Sexualities: A Reader

✍ Scribed by Sylvia Tamale

• Publisher: Pambazuka Press
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 656
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

A groundbreaking book, accessible but scholarly, by African activists. It uses research, life stories, and artistic expression—including essays, case studies, poetry, news clips, songs, fiction, memoirs, letters, interviews, short film scripts, and photographs—to examine dominant and deviant sexualities and investigate the intersections between sex, power, masculinities, and femininities. It also opens a space, particularly for young people, to think about African sexualities in different ways.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Acknowledgments......Page 10
Introduction......Page 11
Part 1 Research, theory and methods......Page 18
1 Researching and theorising sexualities in Africa......Page 19
2 Doing research on sexuality in Africa: ethical dilemmas and the positioning of the researcher......Page 45
3 From minuscule biomedical models to sexuality's depths......Page 55
4 TRACKS: researching sexualities walking abOUT the city of Johannesburg......Page 58
5 Dialoguing culture and sex: reflections from the field......Page 65
Questions for reflection......Page 81
Part 2 Sexuality, power and politics......Page 82
6 Subversion and resistance: Activist initiatives......Page 83
17 Explain......Page 198
18 My love......Page 200
Questions for reflection......Page 201
Part 3 Mapping sexual representations and practices of identity......Page 202
19 Representing African sexualities......Page 203
24 Barrennes and sexuality in the Ndau community......Page 251
Questions for reflection......Page 253
Part 4 Integrated and positive sexuality......Page 254
25 'Osunality' (or African eroticism)......Page 255
Questions for reflection......Page 311
Part 5 Reproduction and rights......Page 312
36 Sexual and reproductive health and rights......Page 313
37 Morality, justice and gender: Reading Muslim tradition on reproductive choices......Page 340
38 Guilty until proven innocent: politics versus the press in defence of reproductive rights in Zambia......Page 359
43 Reflections on my journey with my womb: journal excerpts......Page 387
Questions for reflection......Page 395
Part 6 Sex and masculinities......Page 396
44 Male sexualities and masculinities......Page 397
45 Multiple meanings of manhood among boys in Ghana......Page 418
46 'Mombasa morans': Embodiment, sexual morality and Samburu men in Kenya......Page 435
Questions for reflection......Page 472
Part 7 Who's having sex and who's not......Page 473
52 Unpacking the [govern]mentality of African sexualities......Page 474
53 Sexuality, gender and disability in South Africa......Page 499
58 The gold rush - fiction......Page 526
Questions for reflection......Page 527
Part 8 Sexuality, spirituality and the supernatural......Page 528
59 Sexuality and the supernatural in Africa......Page 529
66 Laabaan song......Page 627
Questions for reflection......Page 631
Glossary......Page 632
Index......Page 636
Back cover......Page 656