Gender and Sexuality in Senegalese Societies

Critical Perspectives and Methods

Edited by Babacar M'Baye and Besi Brillian Muhonja - Contributions by Ayo A. Coly; Ruth Evans; Ellen E. Foley; Juliana Friend; Babacar M'Baye; Besi Brillian Muhonja; Cheikh Ibrahima Niang; Beth Packer; Amy Porter; Kadidia Sy; Susan Telingator and Sindiso Mnisi Weeks

Drawing from the diverse fields of postcolonial studies, literary studies, history, anthropology, sociology, political science, environmental studies, and development studies, among others, Gender and Sexuality in Senegalese Societies demonstrates the urgency and necessity of new research in gender and queer studies in and on Senegalese societies. By focusing on subjects that have thus far been largely neglected in national and scholarly debates, the chapters are subversive, complex, and inclusive, centering within Senegalese studies themes and elements of alternative, nonbinary, variant, and nonheteronormative gender identities, sexualities, and voices. Contributors demonstrate that nationalist and anticolonial discourses propelled by deep and lingering socioeconomic inequalities have led, in postcolonial Senegal, to vitriolic scapegoating of individuals and communities with variant sexual and gender identities. The chapters in this volume look inward to the voices and experiences of the Senegalese people to challenge nationalist representations of advocacy for the liberation of gender and sexual minorities in Senegal as a function of a Western neocolonialist agenda.

Lexington Books

Pages: 304 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-7936-0112-4 • Hardback • July 2019 • $100.00 • (£77.00)

978-1-7936-0113-1 • eBook • July 2019 • $95.00 • (£73.00)

Series: Gender and Sexuality in Africa and the Diaspora

Subjects: Political Science / World / African, Social Science / Gender Studies

Gender and Sexuality in Senegalese Societies

Critical Perspectives and Methods

Hardback

eBook

Summary

Drawing from the diverse fields of postcolonial studies, literary studies, history, anthropology, sociology, political science, environmental studies, and development studies, among others, Gender and Sexuality in Senegalese Societies demonstrates the urgency and necessity of new research in gender and queer studies in and on Senegalese societies. By focusing on subjects that have thus far been largely neglected in national and scholarly debates, the chapters are subversive, complex, and inclusive, centering within Senegalese studies themes and elements of alternative, nonbinary, variant, and nonheteronormative gender identities, sexualities, and voices. Contributors demonstrate that nationalist and anticolonial discourses propelled by deep and lingering socioeconomic inequalities have led, in postcolonial Senegal, to vitriolic scapegoating of individuals and communities with variant sexual and gender identities. The chapters in this volume look inward to the voices and experiences of the Senegalese people to challenge nationalist representations of advocacy for the liberation of gender and sexual minorities in Senegal as a function of a Western neocolonialist agenda.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 304 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-7936-0112-4 • Hardback • July 2019 • $100.00 • (£77.00)

978-1-7936-0113-1 • eBook • July 2019 • $95.00 • (£73.00)

Series: Gender and Sexuality in Africa and the Diaspora

Subjects: Political Science / World / African, Social Science / Gender Studies

Author

Babacar M'Baye is professor of English and pan-African studies at Kent State University.

Besi Brillian Muhonja is associate professor of African, African American, and diaspora studies, and women’s, gender and sexuality studies in the Department of English at James Madison University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: New Directions for Studies of Gender and Sexuality in Senegal, Babacar M’Baye

Chapter One The Invention of the Homosexual: The Politics of Homophobia in Senegal, Ayo Coly

Chapter Two Queering the ‘Greater Jihad’: Sufi Resistance and Disruptive Morality in Senegalese Women’s Soccer, Beth Packer

Chapter Three Representations of the Gôr Djiguène [Man Woman] in Senegalese Culture, Films, and Literature, Babacar M'Baye

Chapter Four Successful Schoolgirls: Maintaining Spatial Freedom and Personal Time in Dakar, Amy Porter

Chapter Five Widowhood and asset inheritance among the Serer in Senegal, Ruth Evans

Chapter Six Sisterhood in Mariama Ba’s So Long A Letter, Kadidia Sy

Chapter Seven “How can you promote health without promoting freedom?”: E-Health for Containment and Care among Queer Activists in Senegal, Juliana Friend

Chapter Eight Catalyzing Stagnant Norms: Female Parliamentarians’ Creative Impact on Weary Public Institutions, Susan Telingator and Sindiso Mnisi Weeks

Chapter Nine Radical inclusion and the life of a public intellectual: A conversation with Cheikh Ibrahima Niang, by Ellen Foley and Cheikh Ibrahima Niang

Conclusion: Identities, Text and Texts, Besi Brillian Muhonja

Reviews

“Gender and Sexuality in Senegalese Societies is a welcome addition to the vibrant field of African gender and sexuality studies. Readers who want to take a ‘deep dive’ into the complexity of gender and sexuality in Senegal will be pleased with the interdisciplinary contributions. The volume addresses timely issues, including girlhood, widow inheritance, and homophobia in Senegal.”
— Ashley Currier, University of Cincinnati and author of Politicizing Sex in Contemporary Africa: Homophobia in Malawi

This collection boasts many valuable offerings for researchers interested in sexuality in Africa and in Senegalese culture and politics more specifically. Its biggest contribution however, is simply its existence. It is an important artifact for African Studies and gender/sexuality studies, the opening of a much-needed discussion and an opportunity to formalize and validate the importance and critical value of queer studies in Africa for scholars on the continent and off.

— African Studies Review