Adapting Gender and Development to Local Religious Contexts: A Decolonial Approach to Domestic Violence in Ethiopia

This book provides a critical and decolonial analysis of gender and development theory and practice in religious societies through the presentation of a detailed ethnographic study of conjugal violence in Ethiopia. It argues for an approach to gender-sensitive research and practice embedded in insiders' conceptual understandings to theorize about gender, assess the possible gendered underpinnings of local issues, and design appropriate alleviation strategies. It demonstrates the importance of integrating religious traditions and spirituality in current discussions of sustainable development in Africa and speaks to researchers and practitioners of gender, religion, and development, scholars of non-western Christianities, and Ethiopian studies, and domestic violence researchers and practitioners.

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 02 October 2020
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book offers a critical and decolonial analysis of gender and development theory and practice within religious societies, presenting a detailed ethnographic study of conjugal violence in Ethiopia. In response to the growing consensus that gender mainstreaming approaches have fallen short of achieving their intended structural transformations, Romina Istratii argues that gender and development analytical and theoretical frameworks are often constructed through Western Euro-centric lenses, which lack the ability to comprehend gender-related realities and human behavior in non-Western religious contexts and knowledge systems. Instead, Istratii advocates for an approach to gender-sensitive research and practice that is rooted in insiders' conceptual understandings as a foundation for theorizing about gender, assessing the potential gendered underpinnings of local issues, and designing appropriate alleviation strategies.

Drawing on a thorough examination of conjugal abuse realities and attitudes in two villages and the city of Aksum in Northern Ethiopia, the book meticulously demonstrates how religious knowledge can be engaged in the design and implementation of remedial interventions. This book provides compelling evidence of the significance of integrating religious traditions and spirituality in contemporary discussions of sustainable development in Africa, and it resonates with researchers and practitioners in the fields of gender, religion, and development in Africa, scholars of non-Western Christianities, and Ethiopian studies, as well as domestic violence researchers and practitioners.

Weight: 566g
Dimension: 162 x 240 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367366087