Developing Economic Awareness: Changing Perspectives in Studies of African Women, 1976-1985

Abstract

Since 1976, the evolution of African women's history has impacted on other social sciences. The dominant trend among scholars has been to economize social and political relationships in rethinking precolonial, colonial, and postindependence African women's history. Primarily, this has been done in a Marxist framework, with some necessary redefinition of categories. The substantive findings illustrate a common chronology for African women's history, despite the immense variations in African cultures. These changing perspectives in the scholarship about African women also have policy implications. Studying African women has forced us to reexamine our assumptions concerning the nature of precolonial African societies, the impact of colonialism, and the direction of change since independence. In recent African women's studies, a growing economic awareness has produced reinterpretations of African history, economizing social and political relationships. In this article, I will analyze the development of this awareness, drawing not only on current research but also on experience in extracurricular academic activities. This review is not intended to be com-

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