Contributors are invited to write on the topic above from either a research or an activism perspective. Abstracts and contributions must be written in English and in a style accessible to a wide audience. Please submit abstracts to admin@agenda.org.za

No later than 14th November 2013

GUEST EDITORS: Prof. Amanda Gouws and Prof. Shireen Hassim

Conceptual Rationale:

In 2014 South African democracy will be twenty years old. A significant aspect of the past two decades is the attention to the rights, needs and interests of women citizens. There have been major advances in some aspects of democracy – for example, the presence of women in government and the creation of new structures in the state – as well as many setbacks to the project of gender equality of which gender based violence is one of the most serious.

Agenda is marking the anniversary of democracy with a special issue entitled “Who’s Afraid of Feminism? South African Democracy at Twenty.” The guest editors are Amanda Gouws (Stellenbosch University) and Shireen Hassim (University of the Witwatersrand).

We invite submissions on topics that include but are not limited to:

• The politics of women’s representation
• Sex, bodies and gender in South Africa
• Political participation: political parties, social movements, and other forms of collective action
• Economic policies: how empowered are women? Will the National Development Plan address gender equality?
• The dimensions of the gendered division of paid and unpaid labour in South Africa
• Cultures and traditions of patriarchy
• Sexualities and power
• Engaging the state and its institutions: experiences of entryism
• Policy-making and implementation with respect to equality
• The equality clause in the Constitution and the role of the Constitutional Court
• The meanings of gender equality
• The dimensions and impact of gender based violence on the realisation of gender and sexual rights
• Realising the health and reproductive rights of citizens

See Editorial Policy for  submission details