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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:'We Don't Want Equality; We Want to be Given Our Rights': Muslim Women Negotiating Global Development Concepts in Senegal
Author:Sieveking, NadineISNI
Year:2007
Periodical:Afrika Spectrum
Volume:42
Issue:1
Pages:29-48
Language:English
Geographic term:Senegal
Subjects:women's organizations
family law
Islam
women's rights
Women's Issues
Law, Human Rights and Violence
Religion and Witchcraft
Development and Technology
Law, Legal Issues, and Human Rights
Equality and Liberation
organizations
Abstract:The article shows how global development concepts are appropriated by women's organizations in Senegal and how their meaning is negotiated with respect to local discourses and practices. It is based on the case study of an NGO campaign for reform of the national family law in Senegal, focussing on the concepts of women's rights and gender equality. The tense relationship between Western dominated development discourses and the official politics of women's advancement, as represented by the secular State on the one side, and the norms of local Muslim society on the other, reflect the complex dynamics of 'glocalization'. Focussing on the strategies of women's organizations on the local level, the aspect of agency is highlighted, thereby questioning the widespread stereotype of the 'vulnerability' of women within Muslim society. The article concludes that in contrast to the notion of equality, the concept of rights seems more appropriate to deal with prevailing social distinctions and hierarchies in Senegal, characterizing not only the gendered relations within the family, but also the communication between local, national and global development agencies, as well as between representatives of diverse Muslim organizations and institutions. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in English, German and French. [Journal abstract]
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