What is it about?
Gender equality activists and religious leaders together to address gender- based violence? This paper examines the tensions that emerge between secular and faith-based organizations implementing transformative masculinities workshops in Africa. By framing the role of emotions, it explores the tactical forms of becoming a gender equality advocate in religious contexts.
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Why is it important?
The article frames how affects and emotions shape gender relations in family and social life of relgious leaders while they openly reflecting about their lives growing up as as men and women in their communities, including traumatic experiences of violence. The ethnographic data presented here is important because it shows the ways through which group discussions and personal learninng processes lead to the transformation of one's view about gender.
Perspectives
For me, the uniqueness of this article lies in its relational approach of the gaps and potentialities of social interventions designed for gender-based violence prevention in religious contexts. Beyond focussing on how efficient or successful these sensitisations can be, I wanted to furthering the understanding on what does it mean to transform gender roles for people living in strong patriarchal systems. As a researcher who is committed with social justice, it was very interesting to be on site during two to five days of workshops observing how religious leaders would open up to retract or resignify their views about femineity, masculinity, and sexuality. I hope I was able to transmit to the reader the feelings and emotions that emerged in those events.
Dr Rafael Cazarin
Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Tactical Activism, Journal of Religion in Africa, May 2021, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/15700666-12340172.
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