A Literature Review on the State of Research on Women’s Contribution to South Africa’s Liberation Struggle

Abstract

This paper presented a literature review reflecting on the state of research in South Africa pertaining to women’s contribution to the liberation struggle. It analyzed the trends in research pertaining to women’s contribution toward the liberation struggle. The paper critically reviewed existing literature that focuses on women’s role in the struggle for equality, liberation, and nationalism. Additionally, this paper reviewed literature in its relevancy to the historiography and body of historical research about South African women political activists under the following themes: women voices’ through men’s articulation; the interpretations of feminist discourse; change of historiography of women’s liberation movements; narrative theory and women’s relationship to the struggle; the politicization of women’s participation into the struggle; pedagogical approach to women history and gender justice; and gender politics as a struggle for theory and phenomenology of women’s existence. This paper’s approach in reviewing literature and the state of research on women’s contribution to the South African liberation struggle. With this paper, it is envisaged that it will greatly contribute to the ongoing debates about the liberation historiography in South Africa and further enhance research themes and scope focusing on South African women’s liberation. It concludes that through the review of literature on the role of women in the liberation struggle, an appreciation to document more of their stories might be significant for the the country’s liberation historiography.

Keywords

• feminism
• historiography
• social history
• women
• liberation struggle
• gender justice.