Gender and Decolonization in the Congo: The Legacy of Patrice Lumumba [Paperback]

Patrice Lumumba s legacy continues to fire the imagination of politicians, activists, and artists. But women have been missing from accounts of the Congo s decolonization. What new ideals of masculinity and femininity were generated in this struggle? Were masculinist biases re-inscribed in later depictions of the martyred nationalist? Through analysis of Lumumba s writings and speeches, the life stories of women activists, and literary and cinematic works, Gender and Decolonization in the Congo: The Legacy of Patrice Lumumba challenges male-centered interpretations of Congolese nationalism and illustrates how generic conventions both reinforced and undercut gender bias in representations of Lumumba and his female contemporaries.Lumumba's Discourse on Women: From Qualified Vote to Universal Suffrage, Still Wives and Mothers? Lumumba's Women, Women of the Congo: Negotiating Patriarchies Andr?e Blouin: A Sister among Brothers in Struggle L?onie Abo and the Political Lessons of the Maquis: Commanding Troops, Carrying Water Sexual and Political Prowess: C?saire's Lumumba , a Potent Symbol Peck's Lumumba : Telling the 'Truth' and Masculinist Bias Beyond the 'Truth': The Maternal Voice in Peck's Death of a Prophet Conclusion

Bouwer draws on literary criticism, a thorough grounding in the historical literature, and her own interviews with one of Lumumba's wives in her efforts to use gender as a means of understanding Lumumba's life and legacy. Her book is an exemplary example of interdisciplinary scholarship and provides a model for scholars seeking to weave literary and historical methods together. This outstanding work deserves a wide audience of scholars. Essential. - CHOICE

'Although a significant amount of writing exists on the history of Congo's decolonization, almost all of it focuses on the political process. With this book, Karen Bouwer adds a much needed gender perspective to this body of work. Gender and Decolonization in the Congo is lƒ]