Promising Empowerment: How Tostan Engages Communities in Participatory Development in Rural Senegal
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Date
2009-09
Authors
Cauble, Elizabeth Marie, 1973-
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This thesis explores the empowerment effects of informal education programs run
by the highly acclaimed non-governmental organization (NGO) Tostan in Senegal, West
Africa. My interviews with 25 women in six rural communities in Senegal reveal that
participants in Tostan training programs experience multiple forms and degrees of
empowerment. The respondents in this study report sometimes feeling empowered in
terms of education, access to resources, individualization and participation. In light of
the literature on empowerment, my respondents remain only partially empowered,
constrained by existing sociopolitical relations and economic dependency. My research
also considers whether there are structural limits to empowerment when an outside NGO
comes into a community for a relatively short time to promote change better produced
indigenously.
Description
xi, 105 p. : map. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.
Keywords
Tostan (Organization : Senegal)