Phallocracies and gynocratic transgressions: gender, state power and Kenyan public life

Musila, Grace A.

doi:10.4314/ai.v39i1.51238

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…Previous research shows a tendency among masculinity-threatened men to simultaneously claim they have failed in their responsibilities and to reinforce the patriarchal ideal of self-sufficient, individualistic men by also claiming they were the only ones capable of solving the resulting problems (Messner, 1997;Poling & Kirkley, 2000;van Leeuwe, 1997). Slum men's emphasis on local masculinity practices and norms in relation to community development reflects, to a large extent, the consequences of "crisis of masculinity" and declining sense of self-reliance and importance among poor urban Kenyan men (Amuyunzu-Nyamongo & Francis, 2006;Musila, 2009;Van Stapele, 2007). Traditionally, male power in Kenya derived from and was reinforced through rites of passage, bride-wealth payments, patrilocal residence, and men's control of livelihoods (Chiuri, 2008;Karega, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Men, masculinity, and community development in Kenyan slums

Izugbara

Tikkanen

Barron

2014

Community Development

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There is limited research on masculinity in relation to community development. Using ethnographic and interview data from two slums in Kenya and building on one of the more well-known definitions of community development, we explore men's narratives of themselves in relation to community development. We highlight how men's cognizance of the structural and contextual constraints to the development of their communities intersected with both a feeling that they have helped to hamper community development and an adamant sense of their own criticality and centrality in ensuring it. While repudiating the idea that they have to change in order for their community to progress, men also generally hinged community development on their tenacious pursuit of traditional masculinity scripts. The rejection of mainstream masculinity norms as the basis for community progress will not resonate consistently among men. Social and community development work with men that fails to acknowledge them as gendered people may not succeed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Men, masculinity, and community development in Kenyan slums

Izugbara

Tikkanen

Barron

2014

Community Development

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“…In plural legal systems, gendered customary land tenure relations and male-dominated local leadership structures set the scene for citizens' engagement in processes of land dispute resolution. African feminist scholars point out that women themselves have responded to the 'phallocentrism' of men's 'legal world' by distancing themselves from it (Manji 1999) or through 'gynocratic constestation' (Musila 2009(Musila , 2012. However, it is equally clear that without transforming this relationship between power, violence and leadership in the community, many women and the community paralegals that support them in making claims, will continue to face barriers to justice.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Women also impact upon, transform and undermine norms when making claims (Manji 2000). In Kenya, Musila observes women's response to the 'phallocentrism' of the state as being one of 'gynocratic contestation' (Musila 2009(Musila , 2012.…”

Section: Gender Power and Rights In Plural Legal Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Power and Rights in the Community: Paralegals as Leaders in Women’s Legal Empowerment in Tanzania

Dancer

2018

Fem Leg Stud

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What can an analysis of power in local communities contribute to debates on women's legal empowerment and the role of paralegals in Africa? Drawing upon theories of power and rights, and research on legal empowerment in African plural legal systems, this article explores the challenges for paralegals in facilitating women's access to justice in Tanzania, which gave statutory recognition to paralegals in the Legal Aid Act 2017. Land conflicts represent the single-biggest source of local legal disputes in Tanzania and are often embedded in gendered land tenure relations. This article argues that paralegals can be effective actors in women's legal empowerment where they are able to work as leaders, negotiating power relations and resisting the forms of violence that women encounter as obstacles to justice. Paralegals' authority will be realised when their role is situated within community leadership structures, confirming their authority while preserving their independence.

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“…The example of Kenyan widows and their access to public space to express their 'worries of the heart' both during colonialism and after independence is an excellent example of such exclusion (Mutongi 2007). The (male) political leaders of newly independent African states were often performing and reinforcing different competing masculinities in their rule (Schatzberg 2001, Musila 2009. More importantly, as Rai (1996, 16) argues, the extent to which women in the post-colonial contexts are affected by the state's regulatory power is very limited, and most women are removed from the state in all its manifestations.…”

Section: The Kenyan State Gender and Extraversionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gendering the extraverted state: the politics of the Kenyan sex workers’ movement

Česnulytė¹

2017

Review of African Political Economy

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The Kenyan Sex Worker movement occupies a peculiar place in Kenyan politicsit is an important partner in different programs and policies in the health sector, but individuals selling sex still disproportionately suffer from different forms of state and public violence and are often marginalised. This article argues that due to the gendered nature of the Kenyan state's extraversion processes and the resulting dual accountability to national and foreign sovereigns, the Kenyan state's approach to gender issues is inconsistent and thus produces a situation where social movements with a gender rights agenda can be both included and excluded from the national political scene. The article also explores how the sex worker movement builds on this duality of the Kenyan state when making its strategic choices about engagement with national policy bodies.

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Phallocracies and gynocratic transgressions: gender, state power and Kenyan public life

Cited by 10 publications

References 0 publications

Men, masculinity, and community development in Kenyan slums

Men, masculinity, and community development in Kenyan slums

Power and Rights in the Community: Paralegals as Leaders in Women’s Legal Empowerment in Tanzania

Gendering the extraverted state: the politics of the Kenyan sex workers’ movement

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