Amina Mama

Amina Mama
AWDF-wikiwomen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	Amina Mama
Birth date	1958
Birth place	Lagos
Occupation	Academic, Activist, Author
Known for	Feminist scholarship, African studies, Gender studies
Alma mater	University of Cambridge, University of London

Amina Mama Amina Mama is a Nigerian-British scholar, feminist activist, and academic leader noted for work on gender, security, and development in Africa, with contributions spanning institutions such as University of Cape Town, King's College London, University of California, Davis, and SOAS University of London. Her research intersects debates in postcolonialism, African feminism, critical security studies, and development studies, engaging with intellectuals from Chinua Achebe to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and movements linked to Feminist Majority Foundation and African Women's Development Fund.

Early life and education

Born in Nigeria in 1958, she grew up amid political changes involving figures like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Olusegun Obasanjo, and events such as the Nigerian Civil War. She undertook undergraduate and graduate studies at University of Cambridge and completed doctoral studies at University of London, engaging with scholars associated with London School of Economics, University of Oxford, and frameworks informed by Frantz Fanon, Homi K. Bhabha, and Edward Said.

Academic career and positions

She has held professorial and leadership positions at institutions including University of Cape Town, where she served in programs connected to African Gender Institute and collaborations with AIDS and Society Research Unit, as well as appointments at King's College London, University of California, Davis, SOAS University of London, and University of London. Her career links to networks such as Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), Association for the Study of African American Life and History, and partnerships with United Nations agencies including UN Women and UNESCO.

Research areas and contributions

Her research addresses intersections of gender, security, and development in Sub-Saharan Africa, drawing on scholarship from Judith Butler, bell hooks, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and debates associated with postcolonial feminism. She has critiqued militarisation debates influenced by events like the Rwandan Genocide, Liberian Civil War, and policy responses such as Structural Adjustment Programmes and interventions by International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. Her analyses engage with concepts from feminist theory and dialogues with work by Sally Haslanger, Nancy Fraser, and Chandra Talpade Mohanty while addressing empirical cases in countries like Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Kenya.

Publications and edited works

She has authored and edited books, chapters, and articles in venues alongside editors and scholars such as Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí, Peggy McIntosh, Valentine M. Moghadam, and Patricia Hill Collins. Her publications appear in journals associated with African Studies Review, Gender & Society, Feminist Review, and edited volumes from presses like Zed Books and Routledge. She contributed to collections on African feminisms and co-edited works that intersect with scholarship by Amina J. Mohammed, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and commentators from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

Activism and advocacy

Beyond academia, she has been active with feminist networks connected to African Women's Development Fund, Women in Nigeria, Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR), and international coalitions linked to European Union gender initiatives. Her advocacy intersects with campaigns led by figures like Wangari Maathai, Leymah Gbowee, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and organizations including ActionAid, Oxfam, and CARE International on issues of militarisation, gender-based violence, and development policy.

Awards and honors

Her contributions have been recognized by academic and civil society bodies similar to fellowships and awards from institutions such as Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, British Academy, and recognition in networks like African Studies Association and Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.

Category:Nigerian academics Category:Feminist scholars Category:Living people