Gender and Decolonization in the Congo : The Legacy of Patrice Lumumba

Patrice Lumumba’s legacy continues to fire the imagination of politicians, activists, and artists. But women have been missing from accounts of the Congo’s decolonization. What new ideals of masculinity and femininity were generated in this struggle? Were masculinist biases re-inscribed in later depictions of the martyred nationalist? Through analysis of Lumumba’s writings and speeches, the life stories of women activists, and literary and cinematic works, Gender and Decolonization in the Congo: The Legacy of Patrice Lumumba challenges male-centered interpretations of Congolese nationalism and illustrates how generic conventions both reinforced and undercut gender bias in representations of Lumumba and his female contemporaries. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 List of Images......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Permissions......Page 14 Introduction: The Gender of Decolonization......Page 16 1 Lumumba on Women: From Domesticity to Political Mobilization......Page 28 2 Lumumba and Women: The Personal Meets the Political......Page 54 3 Andrée Blouin: A Sister among Brothers in Struggle......Page 86 4 Léonie Abo: The Political Lessons of the Maquis......Page 116 5 Césaire’s Lumumba: A Symbol of Sexual and Political Prowess......Page 146 6 Peck’s Personal Lumumba: The Maternal Voice in Death of a Prophet......Page 168 7 Peck’s Hollywood Lumumba: A Masculine Hero......Page 182 Conclusion: Legacies......Page 206 Notes......Page 212 Works Cited......Page 228 Timeline......Page 240 Index......Page 244 Patrice Lumumba s legacy continues to fire the imagination of politicians, activists, and artists. But women have been missing from accounts of the Congo s decolonization. What new ideals of masculinity and femininity were generated in this struggle? Were masculinist biases re-inscribed in later depictions of the martyred nationalist? Through analysis of Lumumba s writings and speeches, the life stories of women activists, and literary and cinematic works, Gender and Decolonization in the Congo: The Legacy of Patrice Lumumba challenges male-centered interpretations of Congolese nationalism and illustrates how generic conventions both reinforced and undercut gender bias in representations of Lumumba and his female contemporaries. Patrice Lumumba's legacy continues to fire the imagination of politicians, activists, and artists. But women have been missing from accounts of the Congo's decolonization. What new ideals of masculinity and femininity were generated in this struggle? Were masculinist biases re-inscribed in later depictions of the martyred nationalist? Through analysis of Lumumba's writings and speeches, the life stories of women activists, and literary and cinematic works, this innovative and multidisciplinary study challenges male-centered interpretations of Congolese nationalism and illustrates how generic conventions both reinforced and undercut gender bias in representations of Lumumba and his female contemporaries.--Publisher website Gender and Decolonization in the Congo focuses on women and questions of gender in its examination of Patrice Lumumba (1925-1961), the assassinated leader of the independent Congo. Gender and Decolonization in the Congo focuses on women and questions of gender in its examination of Patrice Lumumba (1925-1961), the assassinated leader of the independent Congo "Gender and decolonization in the Congo focuses on women and questions of gender in its examination of Patrice Lumumba (1925-1961), the assassinated leader of the independent Congo"--Provided by publisher.