Colonial & post-colonial changes in role of Borana women

The colonial experiences of pastoralist women have been largely ignored in the literature on Africa. The paper “Colonial and post-colonial changes and impact on pastoral women’s roles and status” by Fatuma Guyo, published in Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice (2017 7:13), looks at pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods to locate the impact of colonisation on pastoral women’s roles and social status using the example of Borana women in northern Kenya. It shows that, while pre-colonial Borana women did not enjoy a full position of status relative to men, colonialism reinforced the differences between the roles of men and women, weakening Borana women’s pre-colonial roles and status. The paper explores how Borana society was brought into contact with the colonial economy and commercialisation of their pastoral activities, and sheds light on the impact of this integration on women’s roles.

Posted on 5 August 2017 in Pastoralism, Gender & Youth