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A Macro-Level Analysis of the Scope, Causes, and Consequences of Homophobia in Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 August 2013

Patrick R. Ireland*
Affiliation:
Patrick R. Ireland is a professor of political science at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He has written extensively on migration in Europe, North America, and Africa and is the author of The Policy Challenge of Ethnic Diversity (Harvard University Press, 1994) and Becoming Europe: Immigration, Integration, and the Welfare State (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2004). E-mail: pireland@iit.edu

Abstract:

Although Africa has gained a reputation as one of the world’s most homophobic areas, there are cross-national differences in the extent and intensity of antigay laws. This article assesses the factors that have been advanced in the literature —albeit unsystematically and often mostly implicitly—to explain the observed patterns of homophobia: conservative religious beliefs, delayed political and economic development and resistance to globalization, political leadership strategies, and the legacy of colonialism. It argues that a more robust analysis suggests that a British colonial past, a large Muslim population, and the absence of economic freedom and openness explain at least one-third of the variance in sodomy laws. This finding has implications for efforts to fight African homophobia.

Résumé:

Bien que l’Afrique ait acquis la réputation d’être l’une des régions les plus homophobes de la planète, il y a des différences entre les pays dans l’étendue et l’intensité des lois anti-gay. Cet article évalue les facteurs qui ont été présentés dans les études—bien que de manière parsemée et souvent implicite—pour expliquer les schémas du phénomène homophobe: les croyances religieuses conservatives, le retard dans le développement économique et politique, la résistance contre la mondialisation, les stratégies politiques gouvernementales, et l’héritage du colonialisme. Cet article soutient qu’une analyse plus approfondie indique qu’un passé colonial britannique, une large population musulmane, et l’absence de liberté et d’ouverture économique expliquent au moins un tiers des variances dans les lois contre la sodomie. Cette découverte apporte des informations significatives pour informer les stratégies de lutte contre l’homophobie en Afrique.

Type
ASR FORUM: HOMOPHOBIC AFRICA?
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2013 

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