The transition to democracy in South Africa was once one of many defining occasions in twentieth-century political heritage. The South African women’s stream is among the such a lot celebrated at the African continent. Shireen Hassim examines interactions among the 2 as she explores the gendered nature of liberation and regime swap. Her paintings finds how women’s political corporations either formed and have been formed via the wider democratic flow. Alternately saying their political independence and giving priority to the democratic circulation as a complete, ladies activists proved versatile and remarkably profitable in influencing coverage. whilst, their feminism was once profoundly formed by means of the context of democratic and nationalist ideologies. In interpreting the final twenty-five years of South African background via a feminist framework, Hassim bargains clean insights into the interactions among civil society, political events, and the state.
Hassim boldly confronts delicate concerns corresponding to the tensions among autonomy and political dependency in feminists’ engagement with the African nationwide Congress (ANC) and different democratic pursuits, and black-white relatives inside of women’s organizations. She deals a traditionally knowledgeable dialogue of the demanding situations dealing with feminist activists in the course of a time of nationalist fight and democratization.
Winner, Victoria Schuck Award for most sensible publication on ladies and politics, American Political technological know-how Association
“An unparalleled examine, in keeping with huge learn. . . . hugely recommended.”—Choice
“A wealthy heritage of women’s enterprises in South African . . . . [Hassim] had saw at the start hand, and sometimes participated in, a lot of what she defined. She had entry to the informants and personal files that so liven up the narrative and enhance the research. She presents a finely balanced assessment.”—Gretchen Bauer, African reports Review