This project draws on African feminisms to propose major questions about the agency of girls. The central research questions of the book are: what is the history of girlhood on the ground in various regions of Africa? In African contexts, how are humanistic approaches helping social scientists and development practitioners to unravel some of the seemingly unsolvable challenges? And, finally, in what ways might development projects defined and shaped by adolescent African girls lead us to better understandings of challenges they face and beneficial as well as realistic solutions and critical responses to poverty, development, and inequality? The authors expand the existing conversation by drawing upon epistemological foundations emerging from groundbreaking work in the history of gender in Africa. The data and analyses presented in this work contribute to the fields of African politics, girlhood studies, African feminisms, African histories, and development studies.
