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Investigating the Conceptual Plurality of Empowerment through Community Concept Drawing: Case Studies from Senegal, Kenya, and Nepal

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  • Chesney McOmber

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06268, USA)

  • Katharine McNamara

    (Department of Environmentaland Global Health, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
    Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA)

  • Therese d’Auria Ryley

    (Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA)

  • Sarah L. McKune

    (Department of Environmentaland Global Health, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
    Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA)

Abstract

Women’s empowerment is a driving concept in gender and development scholarship. This scholarship often engages quantitative indices of evaluation that are unable to account for culturally specific meaning and nuance that shape local understandings of empowerment. Recent efforts within the field of international development are attempting to create methodological mechanisms for capturing this nuance. This study employs one such method, Community Concept Drawing (CCD), in rural villages within Kenya, Senegal, and Nepal. Findings indicate significant differences between the field sites in the local conceptualization of empowerment. Cross-examination of site-specific data yields an understanding of how cultural norms and values shape local perceptions of empowerment in ways that are critical for research that engages gendered understandings. Furthermore, such analysis is critical to a more accurate understanding of the locally specific context of gender inequity.

Suggested Citation

  • Chesney McOmber & Katharine McNamara & Therese d’Auria Ryley & Sarah L. McKune, 2021. "Investigating the Conceptual Plurality of Empowerment through Community Concept Drawing: Case Studies from Senegal, Kenya, and Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:6:p:3166-:d:516494
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pratyusha Basu & Alessandra Galiè, 2021. "Introduction to Special Issue: Gender and Rural Development: Sustainable Livelihoods in a Neoliberal Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-4, November.
    2. Espada, Ana Luiza Violato & Kainer, Karen A., 2023. "Women and timber management: From assigned cook to strategic decision-maker of community land use," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    3. Carlo Murer & Alessandra Piccoli, 2022. "Affirmative Policy in Nepal’s Community Forestry: Does it Make a Difference in Terms of Social Sustainability?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-19, May.

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