Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-xtgtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-16T04:59:08.843Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

What Are Women’s Rights Good For? Contesting and Negotiating Gender Cultures in Southern Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2015

Judith Van Allen
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract:

Currently, feminist activists are engaged in problematizing and reframing “rights” claims in southern Africa. This article discusses three cases of such activism, all of which show the limitations but also the potential of using rights claims to transform gender cultures and gain economic and gender justice. These cases involve the successful challenge to the gender discriminatory 1982 Botswana Citizenship Act; the policy shift of Women and Law in Southern Africa from a focus on legal rights advocacy to a synthesis of rights and kinship-based claims; and initiatives by South African gender activists to confront the contradiction between the country’s constitutional guarantees of women’s rights and high levels of gender violence.

Résumé:

A l’heure actuelle les militantes féministes sont engagées dans la problématisation et la reformulation des “droits” des réclamations en Afrique australe. Cet article traite de trois cas d’un tel militantisme, qui tous trois montrent les limites, mais aussi le potentiel de l’utilisation des revendications de droits pour transformer les cultures de genre et acquérir plus de justice économique et d’égalité des sexes. Ces cas comportent en premier lieu la contestation couronnée de succès, de la discrimination à l’égard des femmes de la loi sur la citoyenneté du Botswana de 1982; en deuxième lieu le changement des politiques concernant Femme et Droit en Afrique australe qui se concentraient tout d’abord sur les droits légaux puis ont évolué pour se concentrer sur les réclamations fondées sur la parenté; et en troisième lieu des initiatives des militantes pour l’égalité des sexes qui affrontent la contradiction entre les garanties constitutionnelles du pays sur les droits des femmes et les niveaux toujours croissants de violence contre les femmes.

Keywords

Genderhuman rightskinshipfamilygender-based violenceBotswanaSouth AfricaTRC
Type
ASR FORUM ON WOMEN AND GENDER IN AFRICA: PART 1
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 58 , Issue 3 , December 2015 , pp. 97 - 128
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bauer, Gretchen. 2011. “Update on the Women’s Movement in Botswana: Have the Women Stopped Talking?” African Studies Review 54 (2): 23–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett, Jane. 2008. “Challenges Were Many: The One in Nine Campaign, South Africa.” In Changing Their World, edited by Batliwala, Srilatha. Toronto: Association for Women’s Rights in Development. http://www.awid.org.Google Scholar
Britton, Hannah. 2005. Women in the South African Parliament: From Resistance to Governance. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.Google Scholar
Custom Contested: Views and Voices. Cape Town: Centre for Law and Society, University of Cape Town. www.customcontested.co.za.Google Scholar
Curriculum Development Project for Arts and Culture Education and Training (CDP). 2011. Naledi Yameso: Women Support Women—Claiming Our Lives through the Visual Arts. Johannesburg: CDP Trust. www.cdptrust.org.Google Scholar
Dikobe, Maude. 2010. “Exploring the Phenomenon of Passion Killings in Botswana.” CTRF Newsletter 3: 23–24. http://www.safaids.net.Google Scholar
Dow, Unity, ed. 1995. The Citizenship Case: The Attorney General of the Republic of Botswana vs. Unity Dow: Court Documents, Judgments, Cases and Materials. Gaborone, Botswana: Lentswe La Lesedi.Google Scholar
Dworkin, Shari, et al. 2013. “Impact of a Gender-Transformative HIV and Antiviolence Program on Gender Ideologies and Masculinities in Two Rural, South African Communities.” Men and Masculinities 16 (2): 181–202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emang, Basadi. 1998. Rape in Botswana: Statistics, Profiles, Laws and Consequences. Gaborone: Lentswe La Lesedi.Google Scholar
Basadi, Emang. 1999. The Women’s Manifesto: A Summary of Botswana Women’s Issues and Demands. 2nd edition. Gaborone: Lentswe La Lesedi.Google Scholar
Englund, Harri. 2006. Prisoners of Freedom: Human Rights and the African Poor. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Englund, Harri. 2011. Human Rights and African Airwaves: Mediating Equality on the Chichewa Radio. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.Google Scholar
Feminists South Africa. 2014. “Patriarchy Revisited: Alarming Anti-Feminist Rhetoric Expressed at Ministry of Women Meeting. No Plan to Address Gender-Based Violence.” September 22. www.feministssa.com.Google Scholar
Freire, Paulo. 2007 (1968). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum.Google Scholar
Gasa, Nomboniso, ed. 2007. Women in South African History: Basus’iimbokodo, bawel’imilambo/They Remove Boulders and Cross Rivers. Cape Town: HSRC Press.Google Scholar
Gasa, Nomboniso. 2011. “Our Constitution Revisited.” The Sunday Independent, September 19. www/iol.co.za.Google Scholar
Gasa, Nomboniso. 2012. “Millions Will Lose Their ‘Citizenship.’” IOL News. www.iol.co.za.Google Scholar
Gasa, Nomboniso. 2013. “Women Must Lead Initiation Debate.” The Sunday Independent, August 25. www.iol.co.za.Google Scholar
Gender Links. 2012. The Gender Based Violence Indicators Study: Botswana. Gaborone: Gender Links Botswana.Google Scholar
Gobodo-Madikizela, Pumla. 2005. “Women’s Contributions to South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.”Washington, D.C.: Institute for Inclusive Security. www.inclusivesecurity.org.Google Scholar
Govender, Pregs. 2007. Love and Courage: A Story of Insubordination. Auckland Park, S. A.: Jacana.Google Scholar
Griffiths, Anne M. O. 1997. In the Shadow of Marriage: Gender and Justice in an African Community. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Hassim, Shireen. 2006. Women’s Organizations and Democracy in South Africa: Contesting Authority. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.Google Scholar
Hassim, Shireen. 2009. “Democracy’s Shadows: Sexual Rights and Gender Politics in the Rape Trial of Jacob Zuma.” African Studies 68 (1): 57–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hickel, Jason. 2015. Democracy as Death: The Moral Order of Anti-Liberal Politics in South Africa. Berkeley: University of California Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hirschmann, Nancy. 1992. Rethinking Obligation: A Feminist Method for Political Theory. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Human Rights Watch. 2011. “We’ll Show You You’re a Woman”: Violence and Discrimination against Black Lesbians and Transgender Men in South Africa.www.hrw.org.Google Scholar
IRIN News, In-Depth. 2006. “Justice for a Lawless World? Rights and Reconciliation in a New Era of International Law.” www.irinnews.org.Google Scholar
Isaack, Wendy. 2008. “State Accountability for Violence against Women.” In Gender Activism: Perspectives on the South African Transition, Institutional Cultures and Everyday Life. Proceedings of the Rosa Luxemburg Seminar 2008, edited by Ruiters, Greg, 135–46. Grahamstown, S. A.: Rhodes University Institute of Social and Economic Research.Google Scholar
James, Stanlie M., and Robertson, Claire, eds. 2002. Genital Cutting and Transnational Sisterhood: Disputing U.S. Polemics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Jewkes, Rachel. 2012. Rape Perpetration: A Review. South African Medical Research Council. www.svri.org.Google Scholar
Karimakwenda, Nyasha. 2014. “Violent Forms of Ukuthwala Reveal Longstanding Brutality against Women. In Custom Contested: Views and Voices. Cape Town: Centre for Law and Society, University of Cape Town. www.customcontested.co.za.Google Scholar
Kelly, Jill. 2015. “‘Women Were Not Supposed to Fight’: The Gendered Uses of Martial and Moral Zuluness during uDlame, 1990–1994.” In Gendering Ethnicity in African Women’s Lives, edited by Stetler, Jan Bender, 178–205. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.Google Scholar
Koboyankwe, Otsetswe Keletso. 2014. Legal Pluralism and Discriminatory Application of Progressive Laws to Women Subject to Customary Law in Botswana. Thesis, University of Chicago School of Law. http://luc.edu.Google Scholar
Khulumani Support Group South Africa. 2014a. “20 Years On, ANC Rules but Legacy of Apartheid Still Lingers. June 5. http://www.khulumani.net.Google Scholar
Khulumani Support Group South Africa. 2014b. “What Is the Asikaqedi Campaign?” November 13. http://www.khulumani.net.Google Scholar
LaFraniere, Sharon. 2004. “After Apartheid: Heated Words about Rape and Race. The New York Times International, November 24. www.nytimes.com.Google Scholar
Mail & Guardian. 2008. “Back to the Dark Day.” May 16. http://mg.co.za.Google Scholar
Mamdani, Mahmood. 2002. “Amnesty or Impunity? A Preliminary Critique of the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa (TRC).” diacritics 32 (3–4): 33–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meintjes, Sheila, and Goldblatt, Ruth. 1996. Gender and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. http://www.justice.gov.za.Google Scholar
Meintjes, Sheila, Pillay, Anu, and Turshen, Meredeth, eds. 2001. The Aftermath: Women in Post-Conflict Transformation. London: Zed Books.Google Scholar
Merry, Sally Engle. 2006. Human Rights and Gender Violence: Translating International Law into Local Justice. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Moffett, Helen. 2006. “‘These Women, They Force Us to Rape Them’: Rape as Narrative of Social Control in Post-Apartheid South Africa.” Journal of Southern African Studies 32 (1): 129–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Molokomme, Athaliah. 1984a. Citizenship: Will My Child Become a Botswana Citizen? Gaborone: Women’s Affairs Unit, Ministry of Home Affairs.Google Scholar
Molokomme, Athaliah. 1984b. The Woman’s Guide to the Law: An Outline of How the Law Affects Every Woman and Her Family in Botswana. Gaborone: Women’s Affairs Unit, Ministry of Home Affairs.Google Scholar
Molokomme, Athaliah. 1986. His, Mine or Ours? The Property Rights of Women Married under Botswana Common Law. Gaborone: Women’s Affairs Unit, Ministry of Home Affairs.Google Scholar
Mookodi, Godisang M. 2004. “Male Violence against Women in Botswana: A Discussion of Gendered Uncertainties in a Rapidly Changing Environment.” African Sociological Review 8 (1): 118–38.Google Scholar
Morrell, Robert, ed. 2001. Changing Men in Southern Africa. London: Zed Books.Google Scholar
Motsei, Mmatshilo. 2007. The Kanga and the Kangaroo Court: Reflections on the Rape Trial of Jacob Zuma. Auckland Park, S.A.: Jacana.Google Scholar
Ngcobo, Ndumiso. 2014. “Another Epic Fail from Susan Shabangu and the Ministry of Women.” The Daily Vox, November 13. www.thedailyvox.co.za.Google Scholar
Ndulo, Muna. 2011. “African Customary Law, Customs, and Women’s Rights.” Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies 18 (1): 87–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
One in Nine. 2007. “‘We Were Never Meant to Survive’: Violence in the Lives of HIV Positive Women in South Africa.” Johannesburg: One in Nine Campaign.Google Scholar
One in Nine. 2012a. “Rape Survivors’ Guide to the Criminal Justice System in South Africa.” Johannesburg: One in Nine Campaign.Google Scholar
One in Nine. 2012b. “A Time for Struggle, Not for Celebration.” Video.Johannesburg: One in Nine. https://www.youtube.com.Google Scholar
Posel, Deborah. 2002. “The TRC Report: What Kind of History? What Kind of Truth?” In Commissioning the Past: Understanding South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, edited by Posel, Deborah and Simpson, Graeme, 147–72. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.Google Scholar
Posel, Deborah. 2005. “‘The Scandal of Manhood’: ‘Baby Rape’ and the Politicization of Sexual Violence in Post-Apartheid South Africa.” Culture, Health & Sexuality 7 (3): 239–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rautenbach, Christa. 2014. “Traditional Courts as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) - Mechanisms in South Africa.” In The Status Quo of Mediation in Europe and Overseas: Options for Countries in Transition, edited by Diedrich, F., 288–329. Hamburg: Verlag.Google Scholar
Republic of South Africa, Department of Justice and Correctional Services (DSC). 1996–2001. “Amnesty Hearing and Decisions.”http://www.justice.gov.za.Google Scholar
Rowbotham, Sheila. 1973. Women, Resistance and Revolution. New York: Pantheon Books.Google Scholar
Redding, Sean. 2011. “‘The Girl Is Not Consulted’: Arranging Forced Marriages, Changing Lived Traditions, and the Impact of Segregationist Polices in the South African Rural Reserves, 1925–1965.” Paper presented at the Berkshire Conference on the History of Women, June 9–12, University of Massachusetts Amherst.Google Scholar
Seidman, Judy. 2007. Red on Black: The Story of the South African Poster Movement. Johannesburg: SAHA (South African History Archive).Google Scholar
Seidman, Judy, and Bonasa, NomaRussia. 2010. “Tsogang Basadi: Finding Women’s Voice from South Africa’s Political Conflict.” Paper presented at conference, “Women’s Memory-Work: Gendered Dilemmas of Social Transformation,” University of Limerick, August 24–26.Google Scholar
Selolwane, Onalenna D. 1998. “Equality of Citizenship and the Gendering of Democracy in Botswana.” In Botswana: Politics and Society, edited by Edge, W. A. and Lekorwe, M. H.. Pretoria: J. L. van Schaik.Google Scholar
Shefer, Tamara. 2014. “Pathways to Gender Equitable Men: Reflections on Findings from the International Men and Gender Equality Survey in the Light of Twenty Years of Gender Change in South Africa.” Men and Masculinities 17 (5): 502–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thornberry, Elizabeth. 2013a. “Validity of ‘Ukuthwala’ Depends on Definition of Custom. Custom Contested: Views and Voices. Cape Town: Centre for Law and Society, University of Cape Town. http://www.customcontested.co.za.Google Scholar
Thornberry, Elizabeth. 2013b. “‘Ukuthwala’: Even Living Custom Must Be Develped to Comply with Constitution.”Custom Contested: Views and Voices. Cape Town: Centre for Law and Society, University of Cape Town. www.customcontested.co.za.Google Scholar
Thornberry, Elizabeth. 2013c. “Customary Status of ‘Ukuthwala’ Debated since 19th Century.”Custom Contested: Views and Voices. Cape Town: Centre for Law and Society, University of Cape Town. www.customcontested.co.za.Google Scholar
Thornberry, Elizabeth. 2016 (forthcoming). “Ukuthwala, Forced Marriage, and the Idea of Custom in South Africa’s Eastern Cape.” In Marriage by Force? Contestation Over Consent and Coercion, edited by Bunting, Anne, Lawrance, Benjamin, and Roberts, Richard. Athens: Ohio University Press.Google Scholar
Tsing, Anna Lowenhaupt. 2005. Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van der Merwe, Hugo. 2009. “Reversing Accountability in South Africa: From Amnesty to Pardons and Non-Prosecutions.” Global Studies Review 5 (3). http://www.globality-gmu.net.Google Scholar
Van Allen, Judith. 2000. “‘Bad Future Things’ and Liberatory Moments: Capitalism, Gender and the State in Botswana.” Radical History Review 76: 136–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Allen, Judith. 2007. “Feminism and Social Democracy in Botswana.” Socialism and Democracy 21 (3): 97–124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Allen, Judith. 2011. “‘Passion Killings,’ Political Economy and Contested Historical Narratives in Botswana.” Paper presented at the Berkshire Conference on the History of Women, June 9–12, University of Massachusetts Amherst.Google Scholar
Van Allen, Judith. 2012. “Challenging (Neo)liberal Women’s Rights and Opening Transformative Spaces in Southern Africa.” Stichproben-Vienna Journal of African Studies 23: 38–56.Google Scholar
Walker, Cherryl, ed. 1991. Women and Resistance in South Africa. New York: Monthly Review Press.Google Scholar
Walsh, Denise. 2006. “The Liberal Moment: Women and Just Debate in South Africa, 1994–1996.” Journal of Southern African Studies 32 (1): 85–105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA). 1990. The Legal Situation of Women in Southern Africa, edited by Stewart, Julie and Armstrong, Alice. Harare: University of Zimbabwe Publications.Google Scholar
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA). 1992a. Inheritance Law in Southern Africa. Harare: WLSA.Google Scholar
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA). 1992b. Maintenance Laws and Practices in Botswana. Gaborone: WLSA Botswana Research Project.Google Scholar
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA). 1992c. Uncovering Reality: Excavating Women’s Rights in African Family Law, edited by Armstrong, Alice and Ncube, Welshman. Harare: WLSA.Google Scholar
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA). 1995a. Beyond Research: WLSA in Action. Harare: WLSA.Google Scholar
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA). 1995b. Widowhood, Inheritance Laws, Customs and Practices in Southern Africa, edited by Ncube, Welshman and Stewart, Julie. Harare: WLSA Research Project.Google Scholar
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA). 1997a. Botswana Families and Women’s Rights in a Changing Environment. Gaborone: WLSA Research Trust.Google Scholar
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA). 1997b. Standing at the Crossroads: WLSA and the Rights Dilemma: Which Way Do We Go? Harare: WLSA.Google Scholar
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA). 1999. Chasing the Mirage: Women and the Administration of Justice. Gaborone: WLSA Research Trust.Google Scholar
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA). 2001a. A Critical Analysis of Women’s Access to Land in the WLSA Countries. Harare: WLSA.Google Scholar
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA). 2001b. Reconceptualizing the Family in a Changing Southern African Environment, edited by Mvududu, Sara and McFadden, Patricia. Harare: WLSA Research Trust, Zimbabwe.Google Scholar
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA). 2002a. Dispossessing the Widow: Gender Based Violence in Malawi. Blantyre, Malawi: Christian Literature Association in Malawi.Google Scholar
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA). 2002b. Lobola: Its Implications for Women’s Reproductive Rights in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Harare: WLSA.Google Scholar