TY - JOUR
KW - Gender equality
KW - Igbo
KW - Incarnate beings
KW - Nigeria
KW - Rituals
AU - Christian Opata
AU - Apex Apeh
AU - Chidi Amaechi
AU - Hillary Eze
AB - Scholars of gender inequality tend to neglect ritual as a mechanism that can aid gender equality – even when it is obvious that rituals are cardinal in bridging the equality gap between genders. Basing its argument on the incarnate being institution among the Igbo, an essentially male-dominated institution, this study explains how rituals empower women to attain equal status with men and help them to participate actively in the institution. Questions to address include how women are admitted into the society, nature and meaning-cum-essence of the rituals. Using oral interviews, participant observation, video clips and photographs of women who underwent rituals, this paper argues that ritual is a potent force in the attainment of gender equality. This paper aims to help elucidate the logic of the rituals and bring to the fore how the intangible heritage of an Igbo society helps bridge the gender inequality gap.
BT - International Journal of Intangible Heritage
LA - English
N1 - Publisher: National Folk Museum of Korea
N2 - Scholars of gender inequality tend to neglect ritual as a mechanism that can aid gender equality – even when it is obvious that rituals are cardinal in bridging the equality gap between genders. Basing its argument on the incarnate being institution among the Igbo, an essentially male-dominated institution, this study explains how rituals empower women to attain equal status with men and help them to participate actively in the institution. Questions to address include how women are admitted into the society, nature and meaning-cum-essence of the rituals. Using oral interviews, participant observation, video clips and photographs of women who underwent rituals, this paper argues that ritual is a potent force in the attainment of gender equality. This paper aims to help elucidate the logic of the rituals and bring to the fore how the intangible heritage of an Igbo society helps bridge the gender inequality gap.
PY - 2021
SP - 63
EP - 75
T2 - International Journal of Intangible Heritage
TI - A woman can become a  man : Rituals and gender equality among the Nsukka Igbo of south-eastern Nigeria
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85126716729&partnerID=40&md5=4f221765a4101508f219bccb1e038080
VL - 16
SN - 19753586 (ISSN)
ER -