Gender performativity in rural northern Ghana: implications for transnational feminist theorising

2019 ◽  
pp. 146470011988130
Author(s):  
Constance Awinpoka Akurugu
Keyword(s):  
Gender Relations ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
West African ◽  
Northern Ghana ◽  
Gender Performativity ◽  
Gendered Identities ◽  
Ideal Woman ◽  
Rural Context ◽  
North Western

In this article, I draw on theories of gender performativity and on postcolonial African feminisms to develop an account of femininities in the rural context of northern Ghana. In doing this, I reflect on Judith Butler’s theory of gender as performative, that is, as constituted by the reiterative power of discourse to create and also constrain that which it names. Through an analysis of the findings from my participant observation fieldwork amongst the Dagaaba community in Serekpere in north-western Ghana, I demonstrate that there exists a profound resonance between the theories of performativity of gender and Dagaaba constructions of gender identities and power relations. The key assumptions of performativity theories are instructive in helping to make sense of the subtleties of gendered performance and power relations in this Dagaaba community. This article diverges from Butlerian theories of gender performativity by focusing on heteronormative marriage practices and the role they play in forming gendered identities. In this regard, it participates in acts of cultural translation – between European and North American settings and a West African milieu. Based on my analysis of the performative practices that constitute gender relations amongst the Dagaaba, I argue that femininity can be understood as forming a continuum, namely: ‘ideal woman’, ‘woman’ and ‘beyond woman’.

“The Club Management Ignores Us”: Gender-Power Relations in Women’s Football in Turkey

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Pınar Öztürk ◽  
Canan Koca
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
Staff Member ◽  
Gender Relations ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Feminist Perspective ◽  
Football Team ◽  
Gender Power ◽  
Women's Football

This research aims to explore the gender–power relations and gendered experiences of the players in a women’s football team in Turkey. An ethnographic method and a feminist perspective were used to allow a deeper understanding of their experiences. Based on participant observation and interviews conducted with 14 players, three coaches, and one staff member, the data were analyzed via thematic analysis. The identified themes are (a) institutionalized gender discrimination and (b) compulsory femininity: being ladylike. The findings indicate that unequal gender relations in the club, influenced by institutionalized gender discrimination, determine the position of the women’s team within the club. Accordingly, compulsory femininity is continuously generated in the field. Consequently, the women’s football team remained at the periphery (and finally outside) of the men’s club.

scholarly journals The Sociability of West African Migrants among Russians in Moscow

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-156
Author(s):  
Исаак Олумайова Они
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
West African ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Host Society ◽  
African Migrants ◽  
The Social ◽  
African Community ◽  
Research Show

This paper focuses on the social relationships of West African migrants living in Moscow. It investigates the factors to which West African migrants are exposed that promote or limit their social involvement in the new environment in which they find themselves. Although the African community in Russia is rather small, it is gradually increasing. It is, therefore, the aim of this research to examine the effect of the host environment on their perception of the society and how they try to blend in, or not, with social activities there. The article is based on qualitative methods, namely eleven interviews and participant observation of West African migrants. This research revolves around themes such as their communicative language skills, formation of networks among the host community, and sociability. Findings from the research show that West African migrants in Moscow have been attached to their ethnic landscapes, which has limited their sociability in their host society. Since sociability is not mono-directional, the state needs to do more to create both public awareness of the need to recognize and accept the presence of other races and also to create regulations that will guide the smooth integration of migrants in the country.

‘To Speak of Cattle is to Speak of Man’: Anthroparchal Interactions in John Connell’s The Farmer’s Son

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-351
Author(s):  
Paul Mihai Paraschiv ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Relations ◽  
Human Subject ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Farming Practices ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Insight Into

“To Speak of Cattle is to Speak of Man”: Anthroparchal Interactions in John Connell’s The Farmer’s Son. The present paper intends to build a critique of contemporary farming practices, based on Erika Cudworth’s theory of “anthroparchy.” By exemplifying how anthroparchal interactions function in John Connell’s memoir, I will outline the becoming of a posthuman farmer that awakens certain sensibilities towards nonhuman animals, in ways that compel a rethinking of gendered relations, patriarchy, violence, and capitalist interests. The analysis provides a needed insight into recent developments in Irish rural farming, detailing the position of the human subject in relation to nonhuman otherness and describing some of the changes that need to be made regarding the power relations that are at work within patriarchal systems. To this extent, Cudworth’s theoretical framework and Connell’s memoir are proven to be contributing to the necessary restructuring of farming practices and of human-nonhuman interactions. Keywords: anthroparchy, posthumanism, gender relations, zoomorphism, capitalism, farming

scholarly journals Changing Gender Relations in Media as Social Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-108
Author(s):  
Kapil Kafle
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Social Development ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Gender Relations ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Biological Basis ◽  
The Media ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Secondary Information

The study explores the changing gender relations in media as social development. Changing Gender Relations have been found expressed in the media that can be proven with different examples but the activists and campaigners of gender equality movement are found glued with the decade old metaphors till date. Though the biological identity of a person still determines the power but the gap has been narrowed down. Even men, as activists, have involved advocating for their gender based grievances created as a result of the patriarchy and masculinity. There is discrimination against women, and even violence against them is in the higher volume in the society, but the cases of the remedies have also increased. Power relations have been found very much gendered and sexist, but the account of changes has not been highlighted properly. Changes in power relations are seen in the media but recognition of the same is not made officially. A concept, that most of the women are victims because of their femininity and men are perpetrators because of their masculinity, has also been repeatedly expressed whereas it has been proved that masculinity does not have a biological basis. Methodologically the study is completely based on secondary information of literature review. In conclusion, a concept of social development lies in gender equality has been internalized at least preliminary level by the media that is needed to recognize by the society so that media will be more encouraged to make contributions for the issues of social development.

Mercedes Steedman, Angels of the Workplace: Women and the Construction of Gender Relations in the Canadian Clothing Industry, 1890–1940. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1997. vii + 260. $24.95 paper.

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 168-170
Author(s):  
John Brac
Keyword(s):  
Gender Studies ◽  
Gender Relations ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Clothing Industry ◽  
Construction Site ◽  
Gender Dynamics ◽  
Oxford University ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Oxford University Press

Gender studies in history are at an intriguing point in their evolution. Having distinguished themselves from traditional historiography through a marked emphasis on language as the primary construction site of power relations, they have created a number of principal research tasks. One involves the retelling of history from the perspective of gender relations. A second consists of a description of the relationship between gender dynamics and those of other categories of identification, such as class and ethnicity. A third is the move from the “how” of the construction of gendered power relations to their “why.” In other words, it is the move from description to explanation. Despite a number of attempts to undertake the second and third tasks, this monograph by Mercedes Steedman most clearly presents itself as a gendered retelling of the history of the Canadian clothing industry, and it is in this light that it should be appreciated.

scholarly journals Not Just How Many but Who is on Shift: The Impact of Workplace Incivility and Bullying on Care Delivery in Nursing Homes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather A Cooke ◽  
Jennifer Baumbusch
Keyword(s):  
Power Relations ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Workplace Incivility ◽  
Workplace Relationships ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background and Objectives Much of the literature examining the staffing-care quality link in long-term care (LTC) homes focuses on staffing ratios; that is, how many staff are on shift. Far less attention is devoted to exploring the impact of staff members’ workplace relationships, or who is on shift. As part of our work exploring workplace incivility and bullying among residential care aides (RCAs), we examined how RCAs’ workplace relationships are shaped by peer incivility and bullying and the impact on care delivery. Research Design and Methods Using critical ethnography, we conducted 100 hours of participant observation and 33 semi-structured interviews with RCAs, licensed practical nurses, support staff and management in two non-profit LTC homes in British Columbia, Canada. Results Three key themes illustrate the power relations underpinning RCAs’ encounters with incivility and bullying that, in turn, shaped care delivery. Requesting Help highlights how exposure to incivility and bullying made RCAs reluctant to seek help from their co-workers. Receiving Help focuses on how power relations and notions of worthiness and reciprocity impacted RCAs receipt of help from co-workers. Resisting Help/ing outlines how workplace relationships imbued with power relations led some RCAs to refuse assistance from their co-workers, led longer-tenured RCAs to resist helping newer RCAs and dictated the extent to which RCAs provided care to residents for whom another RCA was responsible. Discussion and Implications Findings highlight ‘who’ is on shift warrants as much attention as ‘how many’ are on shift, offering additional insight into the staffing-care quality link.

From Oversight to Autonomy

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Allison
Keyword(s):  
Gender Relations ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
Gender Composition ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sport Organizations ◽  
Professional Soccer ◽  
Soccer Team ◽  
Game Attendance ◽  
Gendered Expectations

Expectations of women’s lower competence to men inform divisions of labor and authority in sport organizations. While recent research has focused on overt challenge to gendered expectations, few studies examine how organizational gender relations change without direct acknowledgment of gender and inequality. I rely on participant observation and interview data collected with the Momentum, one U.S. women’s professional soccer team, to examine how practices of paternalistic oversight shifted to allow greater autonomy for women. Unexpectedly low home game attendance initiated group sensemaking around the effectiveness of marketing practices. One group, comprised primarily of women, embraced grassroots marketing, while a second group, comprised entirely of men, felt this strategy was ineffective. Sensemaking took place in context of a male dominance that gave men the ability to marginalize women’s perspectives despite women’s positional authority. Change occurred when several men left what they felt to be a struggling organization, with the altered gender composition of staff enabling women’s greater control over their work. I discuss the implications of this example of change for future research on gender in sport organizations.

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