The role of materiality in the gendering of household fishery decision-making and practices in coastal Ghana

Moses ADJEI (Presenter)

Research output: Other Conference ContributionsPresentation

Abstract

Feminist scholars interested in understanding gender inequality have mainly relied on social constructionist and poststructuralist approaches in explaining social outcomes. In recent decades, such theoretical approaches have been criticized for their excessive focus on discourses and human intentionality without recognizing the role of material (human and non-human) forces as active agents in co-creating different social outcomes. Using the new feminist materialist approach inspired by Deleuzo Guattarian assemblage and Baradian diffractive analysis, the current paper examines the factors which create opportunities for and obstacles to women’s household fishery decision making in coastal Ghana. The current paper is part of the author’s PhD thesis and utilizes qualitative data generated through participant observation and in-depth interviews with 38 married fisher folks (20 women and 18 men) within three coastal fishing communities in the south-western coast of Ghana. Findings from the study show that while discourses of masculinity and femininity were crucial in the gendering of household fishery decision making and practices, we cannot ignore the role of human (male/female) bodies with different (in)capacities in terms of strength, birthing, breastfeeding as well as non-human material objects such as the canoe, the sea and its waves and the heavy fishing net as active forces in the gendering of household fishery decision-making and practices. These material-discursive forces combine in complex, unpredictable manner to create different outcomes for women. The current paper calls for the need to embrace more materially engaged research which recognizes the active role of such material forces as they intra-act with other discursive forces in co-creating different outcomes for women.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2020
EventThe 7th International Conference on Gender & Women Studies 2020 - , Singapore
Duration: 16 Nov 202017 Nov 2020
https://womenstudies.info/gws2020/

Conference

ConferenceThe 7th International Conference on Gender & Women Studies 2020
Abbreviated titleGWS2020
Country/TerritorySingapore
Period16/11/2017/11/20
Internet address

Bibliographical note

Abstract published in Abstracts of the 7th International Conference on Gender & Women Studies 2020 (ISBN: 9781988652337), Unique Conferences Canada, 2020, p. 24.

Keywords

  • Gender inequality
  • Assemblage analyses
  • decision-making
  • fisheries

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