Invisible Spaces and Domestic Places as Gendered Learning Contexts in Colonial Mozambique

• In Event: Gender, Achievement, and Learning

Abstract

This paper explores the oral histories of Mozambican women who grew up during the Portuguese colonial regime and the struggle for independence from Portugal regarding the learning contexts that they believe were formative to the adult women they have become. Most women considered the liberation movement a process that had little meaning or relevance to their lives. Instead, women spoke of learning their most important formative lessons in “invisible spaces” and “domestic places” that were often demeaned in other important girlhood contexts such as school and their larger family household. I explore the notions of invisible spaces and domestic places as learning contexts by focusing on the narratives of four particular women who participated in this study.

Author

• Antoinette Errante, The Ohio State University