Bargaining for Women's Rights: Activism in an Aspiring Muslim Democracy

260 Pages·2015·2.215 MB·English

by  Alice J. Kang

bargaining for women’s rights
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BARGAINING FOR
WOMEN’S RIGHTS
Activism in an Aspiring Muslim Democracy
alice j. kang
University of Minnesota Press
Minneapolis
London
The University of Minnesota Press gratefully acknowledges financial assistance for
the publication of this book from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University
of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Portions of chapter 3 appeared previously in “The Effect of Gender Quota Laws on
the Election of Women: Lessons from Niger,” Women’s Studies International Forum
41, no. 2 (2013): 94–102; reprinted with permission from Elsevier.
Copyright 2015 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrie-
val system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the
publisher.
Published by the University of Minnesota Press
111 Third Avenue South, Suite 290
Minneapolis, MN 55401-2520
http://www.upress.umn.edu
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kang, Alice J.
Bargaining for women’s rights : activism in an aspiring Muslim democracy / Alice J.
Kang.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8166-9217-0 (hc : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-0-8166-9218-7 (pb : alk. paper)
1. Women’s rights—Islamic countries. 2. Women’s rights—Niger—Case
studies. 3. Women—Political activity—Islamic countries. 4. Women in
development—Islamic countries. 5. Nongovernmental organizations—Islamic
countries. I. Title.
HQ1236.5.I74K36 2015
305.4209767—dc23
2014032698
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
The University of Minnesota is an equal-opportunity educator and employer.
21 20 19 18 17 16 15 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
tosung sook shin
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments(cid:2) ix
Abbreviations(cid:2) xiii
Introduction Women’s Rights in an African Muslim Democracy 1
1 A French Colonial Legacy The Making of Niger’s Legal System 28
2 The Puzzle of Non- Adoption Why Niger Has No Family Code 46
3 Bargaining for Women’s Representation The Adoption of a
Gender Quota 81
4 Bringing Rights Home How Niger Ratified CEDAW and Rejected
the Maputo Protocol 120
Conclusion Rethinking Women’s Activism 151
Appendix: Research Methods 167
Notes 173
Bibliography 203
Index 225
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In the course of writing this book, I have become indebted to numerous indi-
viduals, associations, and institutions, though any errors in the pages that fol-
low are mine alone. First and foremost, I am grateful to the women’s activists,
conservative activists, and state officials in Niger who received me in their
homes and workplaces and talked with me about their work. Whereas some
interviewees gave me permission to publish their names, others wished to be
identified by their associational affiliation, arguing that their advocacy was
done in the name of a broader collective. As a result, I refrain from naming
individuals whom I interviewed and refer to their position in their associa-
tions or institutions instead.
This book dates back to when I was a doctoral candidate in political sci-
ence at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. I thank Aili Mari Tripp for her
constant support, feedback on draft proposals and chapters, and phone calls
while I was in the field. Michael Schatzberg challenged me to read broadly,
think about politics differently, and see things “from the other end of the tele-
scope.” Christina Ewig asked pertinent questions about this project from its
inception to its defense and showed me where to look for answers. Scott
Straus’s advice throughout the project also made for a much better product,
and Crawford Young was a delight with whom to discuss Nigérien politics. Jon
Pevehouse, Asifa Quraishi, Christa Tiernan, and participants at the Compara-
tive Politics Colloquium and International Relations Colloquium gave helpful
feedback on the project. The Gender and Women in Social Science Writing
Group, which included Valerie Hennings, Elizabeth Holzer, Kristy Kelly, Lau-
ren McCarthy, Kimiko Osawa, and Aili Tripp, provided constructive criticism
on early drafts of the dissertation. Fellow students of Africa Melinda Adams,
Ladan Affi, Kelly Duke Bryant, Libbie Freed, Sarah Hardin, Brandon Kend-
hammer, Carmen McCain, and Naaborko Sackeyfio-Lenoch, along with the
.
ix