Projekt

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How does the organization of women transform gender relations and living standards of Fulani women in pastoralist communities of northern Benin? This is the main question that the postdoctoral project aims to address. Northern Benin is facing various environmental, socio-economic and technological changes threatening the livelihoods of the entire Fulani pastoralist community, including women. To meet the challenges of marginalization specifically of women, improve their access to resources and gain socio-economic and political power, Fulani women with support from male Fulani leaders have set up, from the year 2000 onwards, some community-based associations known as GPFERs (Professional Groups of Female Herders of Ruminants). Fifteen years later, the GPFER movement has spread across the country, with about 120 GPFERs in 48 municipalities, covering 75% of the national territory. Through an ethnographic study, it will be analyzed how the "GPFER-ization" of Fulani communities has influenced gender relations of power at both household and community levels. The project thus deals with the social dimension of livelihood strategies from the perspectives of local actors, especially women. By exploring the ideas, actions and relations of Fulani women within the context of GPFERs, the project intends to contribute to and advance the analyses of gender relations, identity politics and development among African pastoralists.

• Prof. Dr. Eva Schlecht

  Universität Göttingen
  Fakultät für Agrarwissenschaften
  Department für Nutztierwissenschaften
  Abteilung Tierhaltung in den Tropen und Subtropen
  Göttingen
  

• Dr. Georges Djohy

  University of Parakou
  Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
  National School of Statistics, Planning &
  Demography
  Parakou
  Benin
  

• Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Schareika

  Universität Göttingen
  Sozialwissenschaftliche Fakultät
  Institut für Ethnologie
  Göttingen
  

• Prof. Dr. Andreas Bürkert

  Universität Kassel
  FB 11: Ökologische Agrarwissenschaften
  Fachgebiet Ökologischer Pflanzenbau und Agraröko-
  systemforschung in den Tropen und Subtropen
  Witzenhausen