Agenda invites contributions for Agenda journal no. 82, "Gendered Violence in Education". At the forefront of feminist publishing in South Africa for 22 years, the Agenda journal raises debate around women's rights and gender issues. The journal encourages critical thinking, debate and social activism and strengthens the capacity of women and men to challenge gender discrimination and injustices. The IBSS/SAPSE accredited and peer reviewed journal will be published in December 2009.

“Gendered Violence in Education”
Gendered violence has serious and grave impact for women and girls in all phases of South African education and remains a pressing concern.

Pernicious forms of gendered violence, whilst not easily quantifiable, include physical, verbal and sexual assault and harassment, mostly unreported. Girls and young women are “still scared” both in schools and in institutions of higher education. In this special issue we put gendered violence in educational settings under the spotlight and highlight its nature, form and extent. In doing so, we intend to consider a nuanced account of violence in educational settings focusing on the cultural and social constructions of masculinities and femininities where young women and girls remain disproportionately the target. But we are also concerned with boys and men. Taking heed of the slippery conception of violence as non-linear, destructive and reproductive (Scheper-Hughes and Bourgois, 2004) this special issue also considers although not limited to previously unattended and neglected issues in relation to gendered violence in education including girl-on-girl violence, aggressive femininities, violence against school teachers, corporal punishment and violent masculinities. Gendered violence cannot be located outside structural violence including inequalities of race, class, age and sexuality producing a climate of destruction, vulnerability to HIV and AIDS and disease.

This issue of Agenda will address gendered violence in all arenas of education, focusing on such issues as: rape, physical and verbal forms of abuse, violent masculinities and femininities, sexual harassment. Effective strategies are necessary in ending the scourge of violence in South African education. We are open to a wide variety of methodological approaches including memory work, self-study and working with the visual.

Guest Editor
Prof. Deevia Bhana - [email][email protected]

We invite contributors from all over the African continent and other developing countries to write on the above-mentioned topics from either a research or an activism perspective.

Abstracts and contributions must be written in English language and a style accessible to a wide audience. Please submit abstracts to editor:

Lou Haysom, [email][email protected]
All abstract submissions must:
• Specify the specific key area you would like to write on;
• Count 200-300 words;
• Include contact details: your name, institution/organisation, telephone, email and the country in which you reside/country of origin.
Deadline: Please submit no later than 9th August 2009 .
Please feel free to forward this to anyone that may be interested.
Shireen Ragunan
Agenda Feminist Media
Suite E302 - Diakonia Centre
20 Diakonia Avenue
Durban, 4001

“Empowering Women for Gender Equality”
Tel: +27(0)31 - 3047001
Fax: +27(0)31 - 3047018
e-mail: [email][email protected]
Website: