Women's Voices from the Margins

Women’s Voices from the Margins explores the coping strategies, agency, and resilience of women living in Kibera, Kenya—one of Africa’s largest slums. Based on a multi-year research project in which the author analyzed the diaries of 20 young women from Kibera, this thought-provoking book describes the women’s lives, the realities of gender-based violence, and their responses and coping strategies. Drawing on both qualitative journal accounts and quantitative surveys, Elizabeth Swart reveals the agency and strength of these women, who create opportunities for themselves and their children despite the violence and extreme poverty that are a daily actuality of life in Kibera. Taking a global feminist perspective, the author considers the women’s lives in the larger context of urbanization, globalization, and neo-liberal social policies. By presenting the voices of the young women alongside rich scholarly analysis, this engaging text will be a valuable resource to students and scholars of gender and women’s studies, sociology, international social work, and global studies.