Understanding Nego-feminism and its implications for social work and development

When many people think of feminism, they picture protest signs, policy battles, and a direct challenge to the status quo. While that activist model has its place, it doesn’t always translate across all cultures or social landscapes. Nego-feminism, a concept pioneered by Nigerian scholar Obioma Nnaemeka, offers a refreshing, pragmatic, and deeply communal alternative that swaps fighting against for negotiating with.

What is Nego-feminism?

The term Nego is a clever double word rooted in African cultural mental models. It stands for:

• Negotiation feminism: The art of finding a middle ground through give and take.
• No-ego feminism: The willingness to set aside individual pride for the sake of communal progress.

Unlike Western feminism, which often centres on individual rights and autonomy, Nego-feminism is built on interdependence. It acknowledges that men and women are inextricably linked within their families and communities. Therefore, progress for women should be achieved through strategies that maintain communal balance rather than creating isolation.

Implications for social work

According to ASWDNet (2021), social work enhances methods of addressing life challenges to increase social functioning and liberation using indigenous knowledges. Nego-feminism aligns with this by providing a framework to:

• Centre indigenous values by moving away from individualistic approaches and using an African lens of interdependence.
• Enhance social functioning by acting as mediators who facilitate give and take between genders to reduce domestic friction.
• Achieve liberation through negotiation where women secure a better position within the community rather than exiting it.

Implications for development

Development is the process of ensuring a community has the tangible and non-tangible goods required to satisfy needs (ASWDNet, 2021). Nego-feminism ensures these goals are met by:

• Ensuring sustainability of infrastructure through negotiation with traditional power structures to ensure services are accepted and protected.
• Satisfying non-tangible needs like dignity and respect by respecting the existing social fabric while pruning away harmful practices.
• Fostering shared prosperity so that developmental goods do not create a gender divide but instead invite men to be part of the solution.

Key quotes from Dr. Nnaemeka

“Nego-feminism is the feminism of negotiation; it is the feminism of no ego.”

“African feminism is not about the death of men… it is about the life of the community.”

Meet the theorist: Dr. Obioma Nnaemeka

Dr. Obioma Nnaemeka is a world-renowned expert in African studies, gender studies, and human rights. Born in Agulu, Nigeria, she earned her BA from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, before completing a PhD at the University of Minnesota.

Currently a Chancellor’s Professor at Indiana University Indianapolis, she is the Founder and President of the Association of African Women Scholars and serves as the CEO of the Jessie Obidiegwu Education Fund. Her work has influenced major international bodies, including the United Nations and the World Bank.

References

• ASWDNet (2021). Definitions of Social Work and Development. African Social Work and Development Network.
• Nnaemeka, O. (2004). “Nego-Feminism: Theorizing, Practicing, and Pruning Africa’s Way.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 29(2), 357–385.
• Nnaemeka, O. (2005). Sisterhood, Feminisms, and Power: From Africa to the Diaspora. Africa World Press.
• University of Minnesota. Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals: Obioma Nnaemeka.