African forms of socialism: A revolution in gender relations?

Like other forms of socialism found throughout the world, African socialisms have often placed strong emphasis on gender equality as part of their revolutionary agenda. While African socialisms are gaining increasing academic interest, studies on their commitment to gender equality remain scarce. This article offers a historiographical assessment of the existing scholarship, comparing the fifteen or so African states that proclaimed themselves to be socialist, either for a few years or for a longer period, during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. It highlights the main lines of discourse on women in African socialist regimes, as well as women’s actions and demands under these governments, and the policies implemented and their effects on women. This overview opens up new pathways for research on the contradictions at play in gender dynamics in post-colonial Africa.