Intimate Colonialism Head, Heart, and Body in West African Development Work |
|
| Author:
| Charlés, Laurie L. |
| Series title: | Writing Lives: Ethnographic and Autoethnographic Narratives Ser. |
| ISBN: | 978-1-315-42607-5 |
| Publication Date: | Sep 2016 |
| Publisher: | Taylor & Francis Group
|
| Imprint: | Routledge |
| Book Format: | Digital (delivered electronically) |
| List Price: | USD $34.95USD $180.00USD $180.00 |
Book Description:
|
Laurie Charlés finished her Ph.D., then took off to West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer. Asked to create programs to help adolescent girls stay in school, she found herself enmeshed in the politics and cultural barriers that prevent these girls from creating a better life. But that was not all that was enmeshed. Charlés found love, sexual fulfillment, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination, all of which further complexified her stated mission. Her candid assessment of life and...
More DescriptionLaurie Charlés finished her Ph.D., then took off to West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer. Asked to create programs to help adolescent girls stay in school, she found herself enmeshed in the politics and cultural barriers that prevent these girls from creating a better life. But that was not all that was enmeshed. Charlés found love, sexual fulfillment, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination, all of which further complexified her stated mission. Her candid assessment of life and work in Africa, the intimate relationships that gave hope to the possibility of change, the emotional and physical highs and lows that affected her ability to function, all become factors affecting her success in improving the lives of African girls. This eloquent narrative should be of interest both to those doing development work and to those interested in autoethnographic exploration of the self.