Gender and Sexuality in Ghanaian Societies - Hardcover

by Naa Adjeley Suta Alakija-Sekyi (Contribution by), Shemariah J. Arki (Contribution by), Martha Donkor (Contribution by)

Gender and Sexuality in Ghanaian Societies explores cultural dynamics embedded in the interstices of agency, vulnerability, and power within patriarchal structures that seek to regulate the sexual lives of women in Ghana. Emphasizing the centrality of gender as a motive force for sexual expression, the book stresses that contemporary Ghanaian women's sexual expressions are caught at the intersection of traditional gender expectations of heteronormativity and women's perceptions of how heteronormativity should operate in their lives. The book's emphasis on women's agency is significant because it highlights a flaw in earlier, Western accounts of African women's lives under Africa's special brand of patriarchy that held women in total subjection to men. Gender and Sexuality debunks that trope and presents Ghanaian women's dynamism, resilience, and vulnerabilities embedded in the diverse cultures in which they live.

Author Biography

Martha Donkor is professor of women's and gender studies at West Chester University.
Amoaba Gooden is professor of Pan-African studies at Kent State University.