The writings show how gender relations have been constructed on the African continent and reflect the changes in approach and inquiry that have been brought about as the authors consider gender identities and difference in their work. Specific themes covered here include the contestation and representation of gender, femininity and masculinity: livelihoods and life ways: gender and religion, gender and culture: gender and governance.
During the nineteenth century, European women of all countries and social classes experienced many changes in their familial, working and political lives. In this study three themes are united: 1) the tension between tradition and modernity, 2) the changing relationship between the community and individual, 3) the shifting boundaries between public and private.