This edited volume features thirteen insightful chapters, all framed by a conceptual introduction that positions identity as an ongoing negotiation influenced by gender, religion, and ethnocultural dynamics. This volume employs a multidisciplinary approach, drawing from fields such as ethnography, political theory, performance studies, and cultural critique, to explore the evolving and complex landscape of African self-identity.
The thematic thread of gender inequalities and cultural constructions of womanhood runs through several chapters. Namulundah Florence’s contributions stand out for their distinct ethnographic depth. In Chapter One, she examines the structural and cultural barriers to girls’ education in Bungoma County, Kenya, where gender roles and practices, such as circumcision, limit girls’ educational opportunities. Her exploration continues in Chapter Three, where she sensitively addresses the stigmatization of childlessness among Bukusu women. In this context, motherhood is viewed not only as a biological role but also as a form of social currency, where childless women are marginalized, their femininity questioned, and their societal value diminished. Victor Ntui Atom, in Chapter Four, echoes Florence’s observations by providing a critical analysis of initiation rites in Cameroon that reinforce patriarchal norms. He demonstrates how these gendered cultural rites assign men to positions of political leadership while relegating women to domestic roles, thus perpetuating long-standing structures of exclusion.
The interplay of gender dynamics with political and ritual systems is well examined as well. In his study of initiation rites in Cameroon, Victor Ntui highlights how patriarchal inheritance and cultural symbolism reinforce male dominance within political structures such as chieftaincy. While discussions often center on electoral violence against women, Wakil Ajibola Asekun expands this narrative by analyzing the experiences of elected women in Lagos, demonstrating how female politicians resist marginalization and reconstruct their identities within gendered institutions. They are not merely careerists; they are belonging-seekers who reshape public space. Asekun’s study, framed as a self-assessment of how politicians perceive themselves, was conducted in Lagos, a distinctly cosmopolitan urban center that contrasts sharply with much of Nigeria. This geographic and sociocultural specificity raises important questions about the generalizability of the findings, even within the broader Southwest subregion, let alone in rural communities across the country. Femi Adegbulu’s examination of female suicide bombers in Boko Haram complicates this narrative by portraying women not only as victims but also as agents within violent religious movements. Their reintegration challenges conventional ideas of empowerment and trauma.
Urbanization and modernization play significant roles in transforming gender identities and religious relationships, as evidenced in Tolu Ogunleye’s chapter that examines how the changing economies in Lagos and Ogun States disrupt traditional roles, creating opportunities for mobility but also introducing new tensions for both men and women. She points out a generational gap, suggesting a missed chance to understand how digital-native identity formation occurs among youth. Similarly, Primus Fonkeng critiques peace-building efforts in Cameroon, highlighting that conflict disproportionately impacts women while often excluding their voices from the resolution process. This underscores the need for truly inclusive governance.
Moving from gender to historical and ethnocultural constructions, Mickie Mwanzia Koster reclaims women’s agency in Kenya’s Mau Mau uprising, positioning their actions as central to resistance rather than symbolic. Steve A. Iyayi critiques ethnocentrism within Nigeria’s democratization, suggesting it can be reframed as a source of political pluralism and unity when coupled with participatory governance. Atom Ntui’s second chapter revisits cross-border identity formation in the Ejagham region, where historical disruptions and spatial politics yield fluid, hybrid identities that challenge the rigidity of national boundaries.
Identity formation is also influenced by artistic and intellectual production. Adedoyin Aguoru highlights theater and drama as mediums through which Nigerians confront the challenges of postcolonial fragmentation. She argues that performative traditions ensure cultural continuity and help to reimagine nationalism. By focusing on Yoruba theater traditions, she demonstrates how oral narratives and theatrical forms express the tensions between ethnicity and nation-building. However, she does not explore how power and voice are distributed within these spaces. Ajibola A. Abdulrahman explores the interplay between art and ideology in the context of the Nigerian diaspora, particularly focusing on the country’s ambivalence toward Pan-Africanism. His critique highlights the complex tension between nationalist and global Black identities, emphasizing the challenges of solidarity in a postcolonial state. However, the chapter lacks a gendered analysis, which is essential for understanding how African women engage with diasporic consciousness and transnational movements.
The volume concludes with a transcontinental perspective, with Paradeep Mallik’s study of the Sidi community in India enriching the discussion of African identity beyond the continent. By tracing their centuries-long journey through the Indian Ocean trade routes, Mallik highlights their struggle to find a balance between assimilation and cultural preservation. Their “double consciousness,” identifying as both African and Indian, reflects a silent narrative of diasporic endurance, identity, and cultural negotiation in South Asia.
Taken together, these chapters traverse a rich map of identity across Africa, from classrooms in Kenya to Nigerian theaters through to Gujarati festivals, and Cameroonian rituals. The volume’s only notable gap is the absence of Southern African contexts, a region whose historical and cultural intricacies would have enriched the continental tapestry. Still, this collection offers a vital intervention into the study of African identities—revealing not only how they are shaped but how they resist, adapt, and endure.
