Ifi Amadiume

Dr. Ifi Amadiume (born 23 April, 1947) is a Nigerian poet, anthropologist and essayist. She joined the Religion Department of Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, U.S. in 1993. She is currently the Professor and Chair of African and African-American Studies at Dartmouth.

Biography

Born in Kaduna to Igbo parents, Amadiume was educated in Nigeria before moving to Britain in 1971. She studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, gaining a BA (1978) and PhD (1983) in social anthropology. Her fieldwork in Africa resulted in two ethnographic monographs relating to the Igbo - "African Matriarchal Foundations" (1987), and the award-winning "Male Daughters Female Husbands" (Zed Press, 1987). A book of theoretical essays, Reinventing Africa", appeared in 1998.

She is on the advisory board of the Centre for Democracy and Development, a non-governmental organisation that aims to promote the values of democracy, peace and human rights in Africa, particularly in the West African sub-region.

Dr Amadiume is widely regarded for her pioneering work in feminist discourse: " [h] er work has made a tremendous contribution to new ways of thinking about sex and gender, the question of power, and women's place in history and culture". [Marie Umeh,'Amadiume, Ifi', in Jane Eldridge Miller (ed.) "Who's Who in Contemporary Women's Writing", Routledge (2001)]

Works

Poetry

* "Passion Waves" (1985)
* "Ecstasy" (1995)
* "Returning"

Anthropology

* "African Matriarchal Foundations: The Igbo Case" (Karnak House, 1987) ISBN 9780907015277
* "Male Daughters, Female Husbands: Gender and Sex in an African Society" (Zed Press, 1987) ISBN 0 86232 595 1
* "Reinventing Africa: Matriarchy, Religion and Culture" (1998) ISBN 1-85649-534-5

References

External links

* [http://www.dartmouth.edu/~religion/faculty/amadiume-bio.html Biography]
* [http://www.cdd.org.uk Centre for Democracy and Development]