About the Book
First formed in the early 20th century, the ANC Women’s League grew from a modest grouping of women into an organisation occupying a leading position in the women’s movement in South Africa. The league is regarded as both front and centre in the century-long transition to a democracy that rates gender equality as a core constitutional value. It has, indeed, always regarded itself as the women’s movement, frequently asserting that it is the vanguard organisation and the only legitimate voice of the women of South Africa. But, as this deeply insightful book shows, the history of the league is a more complicated affair: it was neither the only women’s organisation in the political field nor was it an easy ally for South African feminism.
About the Author
Shireen Hassim is a Professor in Political Science at the University of the Witwatersrand and a widely published author in the field of gender politics in South Africa. Dr Hassim has worked on the South African women’s movement for several years, and has lectured and published in this field. She is a member of the Advisory Board of Womensnet, a website for women, and of the Editorial Committee of the Journal African Studies.
