Unveiling Colonial Legacies: Women’s Marginalization through the Lens of Coffee Cultivation in Northern Angola

Authors

Posi Oluwakuyide, SIT Study AbroadFollow

Home Institution

Washington and Lee University

Publication Date

Spring 2024

Program Name

Portugal: Sustainability and Environmental Justice

Abstract

This study investigates the historical dynamics of gender and labor by investigating the colonial production coffee production in northern Angola, the history examined spanning from the pre- colonial era of the Kongo and Ndongo kingdoms to the colonial period in the Uíge, Zaire, Bengo, and Cuanza Norte provinces. It aims to shed light on the marginalization of women within both colonial and post-independence contexts. Utilizing the Harvard analytical framework as a guide, this research explores the enduring effects of Portuguese colonialism on women's agency and economic participation. Through an examination of primarily scholarly works, this study reveals how Portuguese colonial policies favored male control over land and resources, exacerbated the productive burden on women, facilitated land expropriation and coercive labor practice, thereby reinforcing women's subordinate position. Post-independence Angola exemplifies the lasting legacy of these policies, as women continue to grapple with marginalization and economic disparity stemming from colonial legacies.

Disciplines

African History | African Studies | Agricultural and Resource Economics | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies | Women's History | Women's Studies

Recommended Citation

Oluwakuyide, Posi, "Unveiling Colonial Legacies: Women’s Marginalization through the Lens of Coffee Cultivation in Northern Angola" (2024). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 3773.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3773