Josephine Dawuni
Term
Professional affiliation
Wilson Center Projects
Women in African Judiciaries
Full Biography
Josephine J Dawuni, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Howard University where she teaches courses on African politics. Her research draws on various theoretical strands including feminist legal theories and postcolonial feminism in interrogating women in the legal professions in Africa. She is the editor (with Gretchen Bauer) of "Gender and the Judiciary in Africa: From Obscurity to Parity?", the first book on women in African judiciaries. She is currently working on a second book (co-edited with Judge Akua Kuenyehia) on “African Women Judges on International Courts” (forthcoming 2017, Routledge). In 2015 she was a Visiting Scholar at the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Law iCourts Program where she conducted research on African women on international courts and tribunals. In 2016, she was awarded the prestigious Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship to undertake a project at the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana. She is the founder and Executive Director of the non-profit Institute for African Women in Law (IAWL) which focuses on enhancing the capacity of women in the legal professions in Africa and the Diaspora through training, mentoring and research programs. In addition, she sits on the Board of the African Research Academies for Women (ARA-W). She sits on the editorial board of the Journal of International Politics and Development (JIPAD). Her research has appeared in journals such as Studies in Gender and Development in Africa, Journal of African Law and Africa Today. In 2016, she received the White House Presidential Award for her service on the Board of ARA-W. She frequently travels and makes presentations at international conferences and workshops.
Major Publications
Dawuni, Josephine. (2018). Achieving Gender Parity in International Courts and Bodies: Does Diversity Matter? Available on Institute for African Women in Law Blog: https://www.africanwomeninlaw.com/single-post-ajg27/2018/02/03/ACHIEVING-GENDER-PARITY-IN-INTERNATIONAL-COURTS-AND-BODIES-DOES-DIVERSITY-MATTER.
Dawuni, Josephine., Kuenyehia, Akua, (eds). (2017). African Women Judges on International Courts: Untold Stories. New York: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/International-Courts-and-the-African-Woman-Judge-Unveiled-Narratives/Dawuni-Kuenyehia-Kirk-McDonald/p/book/9781138215146
Dawuni, Josephine. (2017). Vive la Diversité! Roadmap to Gender Parity on African Regional Courts? Feminist Critiques of International Law Symposium. Available on Volkerrechtsblog: http://voelkerrechtsblog.org/vive-la-diversite.
Dawuni, Josephine. (2017). Judge Akua Kuenyehia: Journey of a Women’s Rights Activist. In Dawuni, J., Kuenyehia, A, (eds). African Women Judges on International Courts: Untold Stories. New York: Routledge. (Forthcoming, 2017).
Dawuni, Josephine. (2017). African Women Judges and Gender Parity on the African Court on Human and People's Rights. Available on International Law Girls Blog: https://ilg2.org/2017/02/01/african-women-judges-and-gender-parity-on-the-african-court-on-human-and-peoples-rights.
Dawuni, Josephine. (2017). "As Straight as an Arrow!" Justice Amina Augie's Journey to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Available on Institute for African Women in Law Blog: https://www.africanwomeninlaw.com/single-post-nvpea/2016/11/22/%E2%80%9CAs-straight-as-an-Arrow%E2%80%9D-Justice-Amina-Augie%E2%80%99s-Journey-to-the-Supreme-Court-of-Nigeria.
Dawuni, Josephine. (2016). The Paradox of Judicial Stagnation. In Bauer, Gretchen and Dawuni, Josephine (eds) In Gender and the Judiciary in Africa: Moving from Obscurity to Parity? New York: Routledge.
Dawuni, Josephine. (2016). Race to the Top? African Women Judges and International Courts. Available on International Law Girls Blog: https://ilg2.org/2016/07/01/race-to-the-top-african-women-judges-and-international-courts.
Dawuni, Josephine. (2016). Gender and the Judiciary: An Introduction. In Bauer, Gretchen and Dawuni, Josephine (eds). In Gender and the Judiciary in Africa: Moving from Obscurity to Parity? New York: Routledge.
Dawuni, Josephine. (2016). African Women Judges on International Courts: Symbolic or Substantive Gains? iCourts Working Paper Series, No. 60. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2777972.
Dawuni, Josephine and Bauer, Gretchen, (eds). (2016). Gender and the Judiciary in Africa: Moving from Obscurity to Parity? New York: Routledge.