Ifi Adadiume contrasts the collectivist, humanist culture of traditional African matriarchal heritage with the corrupt and oppressive culture of the imperialism that is the heritage of contemporary elite-led women's organizations. Amadiume examines the activities of such organizations in Nigeria, making comparisons with those in Britain and South Africa as well as in international movements; looking at the 1995 Beijing International Women's Conferences, she explores internationalism as an instrument of class reproduction.

Here Amadiume provides a detailed account of the structures and workings of local government in Nigeria and Britain as she raises theoretical and policy issues about civic groups, civil society and the nature of the late twentieth-century state. Finally, she draws lessons from her own experiences working in local government to suggest measures for true gender equity and the democratisation of politics in our increasingly multicultural and multiethnic societies. This book asks hard questions of contemporary feminist movements and provides the most detailed account available of Nigerian women's politics.

This Essential Amadiume edition includes a new foreword by the author in which she reflects on the moment at which the book was written, how it was initially received, and whether anything has changed since.