Reframing African Girlhood

This Special Issue on African Girlhoods is long overdue for many reasons, not least of which its recognition, as guest editors Marla L. Jaksch, Catherine Cymone Fourshey, and Relebohile Moletsane point out, the somewhat vexed history discourse girl-child that dates back to global development literature early 1990s attached Fourth World Conference Women: Action Equality, Development Peace, held in Beijing September, 1995—typically referred just Beijing. This, country regional conferences leading up it were (and still are) game-changers so ways when comes lives girls women. It would be remiss me acknowledge I participated readily days defining was working a short-term UNICEF consultant Zambia develop an agenda Ministry Education other policy actors research about education Zambia. One events Lusaka October 1994 part my fact-finding local consulting meeting 80 or more NGO members Zambian women who planning their submissions November Platform Action: Fifth Regional (Dakar) Women preparatory As observer at this meeting, heard presenter talk fact she one first (if first) graduate from university. time could see giving any recognition support ordinary full possibilities, if very complicated. But regard all much Girlhood Studies work North America science late 1980s. note elsewhere charting girlhood studies (Mitchell 2016) we now know getting into equally