Patricia McFadden
Encyclopedia
Dr. Patricia McFadden is a radical African feminist, sociologist, writer, educator, and publisher from Swaziland
. She is also an activist and scholar who worked in the anti-apartheid movement
for more than 20 years. McFadden has worked in the African and global women’s movements as well. As a writer, she has been the target of political persecution. She has worked as editor of the "Southern African Feminist Review" and African Feminist Perspectives. She currently teaches, and advocates internationally for women's issues. McFadden has served as a professor at Cornell university
, Spelman College
, Syracuse University
and Smith College
in the United States
. She also works as a ‘feminist consultant,’ supporting women in creating institutionally sustainable feminist spaces within Southern Africa.
in politics and administration, with economics and sociology as minors. She then went to Dar es Salaam University
for a master’s degree in sociology. She received her PhD from Warwick University in the United Kingdom
in 1987.
She worked as editor of the "Southern African Feminist Review" from 1995 – 2000. She served as international dean at the International Women’s University (IFU) from 1998 – 2000 in Hannover. She also taught in the Masters in Social Policy (MPS) program offered by SARIPS for the past seven years. She was an adjunct professor at Syracuse University
Study Abroad program in Zimbabwe and then later at the parent location in Syracuse New Yok as a faculty member in the Department of African American Studies
.
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
. She is also an activist and scholar who worked in the anti-apartheid movement
Anti-Apartheid Movement
Anti-Apartheid Movement , originally known as the Boycott Movement, was a British organization that was at the center of the international movement opposing South Africa's system of apartheid and supporting South Africa's Blacks....
for more than 20 years. McFadden has worked in the African and global women’s movements as well. As a writer, she has been the target of political persecution. She has worked as editor of the "Southern African Feminist Review" and African Feminist Perspectives. She currently teaches, and advocates internationally for women's issues. McFadden has served as a professor at Cornell university
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, Spelman College
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
, Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
and Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She also works as a ‘feminist consultant,’ supporting women in creating institutionally sustainable feminist spaces within Southern Africa.
Personal Life
She attended the University of Botswana and SwazilandUniversity of Botswana
The University of Botswana, or UB was established in 1982 as the first institution of higher education in Botswana. The university has four campuses: two in the capital city Gaborone, one in Francistown, and another in Maun. The university is divided into six faculties: Business, Education,...
in politics and administration, with economics and sociology as minors. She then went to Dar es Salaam University
for a master’s degree in sociology. She received her PhD from Warwick University in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1987.
Career
She worked as a program officer in the Southern African Regional Institute for Policy Studies (SARIPS) in Zimbabwe, from 1993 – 2005.She worked as editor of the "Southern African Feminist Review" from 1995 – 2000. She served as international dean at the International Women’s University (IFU) from 1998 – 2000 in Hannover. She also taught in the Masters in Social Policy (MPS) program offered by SARIPS for the past seven years. She was an adjunct professor at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
Study Abroad program in Zimbabwe and then later at the parent location in Syracuse New Yok as a faculty member in the Department of African American Studies
Department of African American Studies - Syracuse University
The Department of African American Studies at Syracuse University is a leading Africana studies department in the United States. It is a prominent independent department at Syracuse University that has had a long history of activism and scholarship in Black and Pan African Studies...
.
Work
As a writer, McFadden’s main areas of intellectual inquiry are: sexuality, reproductive and sexual health, and identity, violation and citizenship for African women. She has presented numerous papers at universities, conferences and seminars internationally in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Namibia, South Africa, Ghana, Djibouti , Kenya, Uganda, Brazil, China, Germany Ethiopia, the United Kingdom and others.Essays
- Becoming Postcolonial: African Women Changing the Meaning of Citizenship - 2005
- ‘Challenging HIV and AIDS: Resistance and Advocacy in the Lives of Black Women in Southern Africa,’
- 'War Through a Feminist Lens’
- ‘Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Positioning Feminism in the ‘Africa Debate,’ and ‘Patriarchy'
- 'Sexuality and Globalization.’
Books
- “Gender in Southern Africa: A Gendered Perspective” (Sapes Books)- 1998
- “Reflections on Gender Issues in Africa” (Sapes Books) - 1999
- “Reconceptualizing the Family in a Changing Southern African Environment” with Sara C Mvududu (Africa Institute of South Africa)- 2001.