Biography

Amina Mama is a widely traveled Nigerian/British activist, researcher and scholar actively involved in policy advocacy, community activism and development consultancy at various times in her career. She is currently Director of the Feminist Research Institute at UC Davis. Amina was the first Barbara Lee Distinguished Chair in Women's Leadership at Mills College in Oakland, California. Her life-work focuses on strengthening activism in African contexts. Amina’s research interests include culture and subjectivity, politics and policy, women’s movements and militarism.

 From 1999-2009, Amina lead the establishment of the African Gender Institute at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She is founding editor of Feminist Africa, and has authored the books Beyond the Masks: Race, Gender and Subjectivity (1995) and Women’s Studies and Studies of Women in Africa (1996). In addition to these works, Amina has co-edited Engendering African Social Sciences (1997) and several book chapters and journal articles. She is co-producer of the documentary film The Witches of Gambaga (2010).