Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí

The author traces the misapplication of Western, body-oriented concepts of gender through the history of gender discourses in Yoruba studies. THE INVENTION OF WOMEN demonstrates that biology as a rationale for organizing the social world is a Western construction not applicable in Yoruban culture where social organization was determined by relative age.

Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourses

The Invention of Women

The relationship between African women and,Feminism is one fraught with controversy. Inherent,in this connection is the question of whether,assumptions made by Western feminists about,women's place in society are cross-cultural or,relevant to Africa's situation. This book tackles,the misrepresentation of African women by both,black and white American feminists and thereby,explores the implications of the dominance of,Western scholarship in the production of knowledge,about Africa.

Reflecting on the Politics of Sisterhood

African Women and Feminism

Oyeronke Oyewumi

Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwu ̀mí

"The "woman question", this book asserts, is a Western one, and not a proper lens for viewing African society. A work that rethinks gender as a Western contruction, The Invention of Women offers a new way of understanding both Yoruban and Western cultures." "Oyewumi traces the misapplication of Western, body-oriented concepts of gender through the history of gender discourses in Yoruba studies. Her analysis shows the paradoxical nature of two fundamental assumptions of feminist theory: that gender is socially constructed in old Yoruba society, and that social organization was determined by relative age."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In this book, Oyěwùmí extends her path-breaking thesis that in Yorùbá society, construction of gender is a colonial development since the culture exhibited no gender divisions in its original form. Taking seriously indigenous modes and categories of knowledge, she applies her finding of a non-gendered ontology to the social institutions of Ifá, motherhood, marriage, family and naming practices. Oyěwùmí insists that contemporary assertions of male dominance must be understood, in part, as the work of local intellectuals who took marching orders from Euro/American mentors and colleagues. In exposing the depth of the coloniality of power, Oyěwùmí challenges us to look at the worlds we inhabit, anew.

Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí

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