The theme that
has been selected for the 2002 Gender Institute is :
“Globalisation, Gender and Trade”.
Globalisation has
become a fashionable concept in scholarly discourses, a core
dictum in the prescriptions of management gurus and a catch
phrase for journalists and politicians. Central to the
discussions that have been generated on globalisation is the
assumption that we live in an era in which the greater part of
social life is unceasingly determined by global processes which,
in their workings, are eroding national cultures, national
economies, national borders and state sovereignty. Of particular
interest in this regard are the economic dimensions of
globalisation and the commercial processes that underpin them.
While opinion remains polarised as how best to manage the
challenges posed by globalisation, there seems to be growing
consensus that the process had been accompanied by growing
inequalities not only among nations but also within nations.
Women and children would seem to have been particularly badly
hit by this growing polarisation and inequality.
Trade relations and dynamics whether
international, regional or national, affect women’s livelihoods
in multiple ways. As African economies attempt to respond to the
challenges of globalisation by plugging further into the
international system, understanding the gender impact of
globalisation and trade becomes even more crucial. The gender
impact of globalisation is complex and its effects are mixed. A
growing body of the literature suggests however that African
women are being further isolated and disempowered by
globalisation and the trade and financial policies associated
with it. Part of the explanation for this relates to the fact
that there is a gender bias inherent in the macro economic and
trade theories that underpin policy and practice. Yet, few
will disagree that there is a need to deepen knowledge of the
gender implications of globalisation generally and the trade
dynamics that inform it specifically.
The
objectives of
the 2002 Institute are to :
-
Provide a
platform to African scholars working on globalisation, gender
and trade to exchange and share ideas and in so doing
contribute towards engendering the contents of economics
courses especially those related to international trade and
development in African universities.
-
Familiarise
researchers with the latest literature in the field and
through this help consolidate an African perspective to the
theoretical debates taking place ;
-
Sharpen
researchers’ gender analytic skills, as well as promote an
African feminist methodology in the field of trade economics
and the general study of globalisation ;
-
Encourage
African knowledge production on the interface of
globalisation, gender and trade.
