"When women wear slacks": Fashion, beauty, and gendered nation-building in West Cameroon, 1961–1982

This dissertation explores gendered nation-building during the political regime of Ahmadou Ahidjo, Cameroon’s first president (1960-1982). Although much has been written about the significance of “political fatherhood” in Africa, very little is known about the politico-nationalist roles of women, save for those at the highest echelons of power. My work is different in that I highlight the political functions of ordinary women’s household routines. I argue that expressions of nationalism as reflected in the domestic and aesthetic arenas are not frivolous concerns, but are closely connected to larger nation-building projects. My dissertation places women at the forefront of nation-building efforts by arguing that Anglophone (English-speaking) women in the federated state of West Cameroon played a key role in the country’s development processes by actively interpreting and redefining the meanings of national identity, unity, and modernity in the early post-colonial period. I explore how citizens’ ideas about fashion, beauty, domesticity, gender relations/roles, and political identity helped to define nationalism and citizenship.