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Science as a field of struggle: Gendered experiences of African scholars doing forest governance research

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  • Strelnyk, Olena
  • Koch, Susanne
  • Tetley, Camilla
  • Sunagawa, Shizuku
  • Uisso, Amani J.

Abstract

Building on scholarship addressing gender inequality in forestry, this paper investigates how African scholars experience gendered struggles in doing forest governance research. Employing Bourdieu's theoretical lens of science as a (gendered) social field of struggle, we consider scholars' participation in academia as shaped by dispositions related to gender, locality and other social dimensions of difference. Based on interviews with twenty female and male scholars affiliated with research organisations in African countries, we examine how these dispositions affect their experiences as academics in forest governance research. Therefore, we adopt an integrative interpretative approach to interview analysis focusing on narratives, positionings and discursive dynamics.

Suggested Citation

  • Strelnyk, Olena & Koch, Susanne & Tetley, Camilla & Sunagawa, Shizuku & Uisso, Amani J., 2024. "Science as a field of struggle: Gendered experiences of African scholars doing forest governance research," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:forpol:v:169:y:2024:i:c:s138993412400193x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103339
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