Daughters of the Goddess, Daughters of Imperialism: African Women, Culture, Power and Democracy
Ifi Adadiume contrasts the collectivist, humanist culture of traditional African matriarchal heritage with the corrupt and oppressive culture of the imperialism that is the heritage of contemporary elite-led women's organizations. Amadiume examines the activities of such organizations in Nigeria, making comparisons with those in Britain and South Africa as well as in international movements; looking at the 1995 Beijing International Women's Conferences, she explores internationalism as an instrument of class reproduction.

Here Amadiume provides a detailed account of the structures and workings of local government in Nigeria and Britain as she raises theoretical and policy issues about civic groups, civil society and the nature of the late twentieth-century state. Finally, she draws lessons from her own experiences working in local government to suggest measures for true gender equity and the democratisation of politics in our increasingly multicultural and multiethnic societies. This book asks hard questions of contemporary feminist movements and provides the most detailed account available of Nigerian women's politics.

This Essential Amadiume edition includes a new foreword by the author in which she reflects on the moment at which the book was written, how it was initially received, and whether anything has changed since.

1137840934
Daughters of the Goddess, Daughters of Imperialism: African Women, Culture, Power and Democracy
Ifi Adadiume contrasts the collectivist, humanist culture of traditional African matriarchal heritage with the corrupt and oppressive culture of the imperialism that is the heritage of contemporary elite-led women's organizations. Amadiume examines the activities of such organizations in Nigeria, making comparisons with those in Britain and South Africa as well as in international movements; looking at the 1995 Beijing International Women's Conferences, she explores internationalism as an instrument of class reproduction.

Here Amadiume provides a detailed account of the structures and workings of local government in Nigeria and Britain as she raises theoretical and policy issues about civic groups, civil society and the nature of the late twentieth-century state. Finally, she draws lessons from her own experiences working in local government to suggest measures for true gender equity and the democratisation of politics in our increasingly multicultural and multiethnic societies. This book asks hard questions of contemporary feminist movements and provides the most detailed account available of Nigerian women's politics.

This Essential Amadiume edition includes a new foreword by the author in which she reflects on the moment at which the book was written, how it was initially received, and whether anything has changed since.

29.95 Pre Order
Daughters of the Goddess, Daughters of Imperialism: African Women, Culture, Power and Democracy

Daughters of the Goddess, Daughters of Imperialism: African Women, Culture, Power and Democracy

Daughters of the Goddess, Daughters of Imperialism: African Women, Culture, Power and Democracy

Daughters of the Goddess, Daughters of Imperialism: African Women, Culture, Power and Democracy

Paperback

$29.95 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Available for Pre-Order. This item will be released on February 19, 2026

Related collections and offers


Overview

Ifi Adadiume contrasts the collectivist, humanist culture of traditional African matriarchal heritage with the corrupt and oppressive culture of the imperialism that is the heritage of contemporary elite-led women's organizations. Amadiume examines the activities of such organizations in Nigeria, making comparisons with those in Britain and South Africa as well as in international movements; looking at the 1995 Beijing International Women's Conferences, she explores internationalism as an instrument of class reproduction.

Here Amadiume provides a detailed account of the structures and workings of local government in Nigeria and Britain as she raises theoretical and policy issues about civic groups, civil society and the nature of the late twentieth-century state. Finally, she draws lessons from her own experiences working in local government to suggest measures for true gender equity and the democratisation of politics in our increasingly multicultural and multiethnic societies. This book asks hard questions of contemporary feminist movements and provides the most detailed account available of Nigerian women's politics.

This Essential Amadiume edition includes a new foreword by the author in which she reflects on the moment at which the book was written, how it was initially received, and whether anything has changed since.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781350509085
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date: 02/19/2026
Pages: 336
Product dimensions: 1.11(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.11(d)

About the Author

Ifi Amadiume is a award-winning poet and a political activist as well as an academic. She has lived in Nigeria and the UK and is currently a professor at Dartmouth College, USA. There, she teaches both in the Department of Religion and on the African-American Studies Programme. Professor Amadiume is author of the influential Male Daughters, Female Husbands (Zed Books, 1988) which won the Choice Outstanding Academic Book of the Year award in 1989.

Ifi Amadiume is a award-winning poet and a political activist as well as an academic. She has lived in Nigeria and the UK and is currently a professor at Dartmouth College, USA. There, she teaches both in the Department of Religion and on the African-American Studies Programme. Professor Amadiume is author of the influential Male Daughters, Female Husbands (Zed Books, 1988) which won the Choice Outstanding Academic Book of the Year award in 1989.

Table of Contents

Foreword to the Essential Amadiume Edition
1. Introduction.
2. African Women: Present Realities and Which Way Forward?
3. A History of Class Transformations: Contemporary Women's Organizations in Nigeria.
4. Class Contestation in NCWS and Other National Women's Organizations.
5. Class and Gender Dynamics in Professional Women's Organizations: Rhetoric and Practice.
6. Gender and Class in Campaigns and Civil Discourse.
7. Class and Gender in Child Abuse.
8. Women's Healthcare and Discourses on Reproductive Health.
9. Gender, Class and Voices: Women and the 1986 National Political Debate.
10. Women in Local Government: A Comparison.
11. Gendering Grassroots Democracy: The Women's Committee System.
12. Class Corruption and Women's Mobilization: The Cult of the First Lady.
13. The Politics of Women's Committees in a Multicultural and Multiethnic Society: Lessons from Britain and South Africa.
14. Conclusion.

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews