Lessons learned from individual stories narrated by women in Africa

Abstract

Peer-review declarationThe publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum Best Practice for Peer-Review of Scholarly Books'. The book proposal form was evaluated by AOSIS Scholarly Books' Social Sciences, Humanities, Education and Business Management editorial board. The manuscript underwent an evaluation to compare the level of originality with other published works and was subjected to rigorous two-step peer-review before publication by two technical expert reviewers who did not include the author and were independent of the author, with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the author.The reviewers were independent of the publisher and author. The publisher shared feedback on the similarity report and the reviewers' inputs with the manuscript's author to improve the manuscript. Where the reviewers recommended revision and improvements, the author responded adequately to such recommendations. The reviewers commented positively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript and recommended that the book be published.v Research justificationThis scholarly book aims to bridge a gap in the existing literature by investigating the strategies and abilities that enabled African women Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) graduates to effectively complete their studies, thus uncovering the key factors contributing to their success in PhD programmes. This research offers a platform for African women who have earned PhDs, especially those who pursued their studies at South African universities, to voice their apprehensions, impart their insights that could benefit future generations and communicate to African educational institutions and governments the factors they perceive as instrumental in the achievements of this cohort of women. The findings could hold potential advantages for doctoral education in South Africa, particularly as previous research has not examined it from the perspective of both the capabilities approach and resiliency theory.To gain an in-depth qualitative insight into the lives and ambitions of African women who have attained PhDs, this study utilises a narrative inquiry or narrative analysis that emerged as a discipline within the broader field of qualitative research. The focus is on exploring how life stories influence the participants' accomplishments and activities. Essentially, narrative inquiry aims to depict societal segments that are frequently overlooked in research regarding the viewpoints and encounters of African women engaged with doctoral study programmes.Undertaking this study held significance as it aims to expand the realm of knowledge by delving into the multifaceted factors (including personal, social, cultural, economic, political and environmental aspects) outlined by African women, which either facilitated or impeded their accomplishments in doctoral education. Through interviews with a diverse cohort of African women PhD graduates from various African nations, their journey through doctoral education, along with the tactics and compet...