Gendering the African Diaspora
Women, Culture, and Historical Change in the Caribbean and Nigerian Hinterland

Judith A. Byfield (Edited by), LaRay Denzer (Edited by), Anthea Morrison (Edited by), Faith Lois Smith (Contributions by), Linda Sturtz (Contributions by), Antonia MacDonald-Smythe (Contributions by), Verene A. Shepherd (Contributions by), Brinsley Samaroo (Contributions by), Olatunji Ojo (Contributions by), Janice Mayers (Contributions by), Hakim Adi (Contributions by), Gloria Chuku (Contributions by), Mojubaolu Olufunke Okome (Contributions by)

9780253221537

Paperback / softback, published 16 February 2010

344 pages, 2 maps
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.567 kg

"[T]his is a strong and enjoyable contribution to deepen our understanding of complex gendered processes, serving as an antidote to studies of diaspora that 'obscure ideas of class and nation [and] gender as well' . . . and an antidote to accounts which present women too readily as victims."—Leeds African Studies Bulletin
"In foregrounding women's changing forms of engagement during their border-crossing encounters, we also gain important knowledge about both changing gender ideologies and changing politics, policies, and political movements across the African diaspora at given historical periods. This is a critically important and interesting addition not only to diaspora studies, but also to our general knowledge about gender roles in the Caribbean and hinterland Nigeria."—Constance Sutton, New York University
"This collection . . . strengthens the significance of understanding the African diaspora across time, and provides a model for studying other diasporas as well."—Constance Sutton, New York University

This volume builds on and extends current discussions of the construction of gendered identities and the networks through which men and women engage diaspora. It considers the movement of people and ideas between the Caribbean and the Nigerian hinterland. The contributions examine Africa in the Caribbean imaginary, the way in which gender ideologies inform Caribbean men's and women's theoretical or real-life engagement with the continent, and the interactions and experiences of Caribbean travelers in Africa and Europe. The contributions are linked as well through empire, discussing different parts of the British Empire and allowing for the comparative examination of colonial policies and practices.

Preface
A Note on the Structure of the Volume
Introduction
Part 1. Africa in the Caribbean Imagination
1. Of Laughter and Kola Nuts; or, What Does Africa Have to Do with the African Diaspora? / Faith Lois Smith
2. From Africa to "The Islands": New World Voyages in the Fiction of Maryse Condé and Paule Marshall / Anthea Morrison
Part 2. Race, Gender, and Agency in the Shadow of Slavery
3. Mary Rose: "White" African Jamaican Woman? Race and Gender in Eighteenth-Century Jamaica / Linda L. Sturtz
4. Trading Places: Market Negotiations in Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands / Antonia MacDonald-Smythe
5. Blacks in the White Imagination: Race in the Investigation of Rape on Nineteenth-Century Emigrant Ships to the Colonial Caribbean / Verene A. Shepherd
6. Maria Jones of Africa, St. Vincent, and Trinidad / Brinsley Samaroo
7. Slavery, Marriage, and Gender Relations in Eastern Yorubaland, 1875–1920 / Olatunji Ojo
8. On Equal/Unequal Footing with Men: Diaspora Linkages and Issues of Gender and Education Policy in Barbados, 1875–1945 / Janice Mayers
Part 3. Building Diaspora in the Web of Empire
9. Amy Ashwood Garvey and the Nigerian Progress Union / Hakim Adi
10. "Crack Kernels, Crack Hitler": Export Production Drive and Igbo Women during the Second World War / Gloria Chuku
11. Intersections: Nigerian Episodes in the Careers of Three West Indian Women / LaRay Denzer
12. Immigrant Voices in Cyberspace: Spinning Continental and Diasporan Africans into the World Wide Web / Mojúbàolú Olúfúnké Okome
Notes on Contributors
Index