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Cape Verde’s Empresarias: Image and Reality
“The West African Republic of Cape Verde was under socialist governance from the time of independence in 1975 until its first multi-party government initiated privatization in 1991. The study examines, as of the mid-90s, the emergent entrepreneurial lives of a small group of young women, their views about their work, and their rejection of traditional women’s roles. This lively group has transformed their public image, used it as an organizing principle for action and modified that of the nation. In their revolt against cultural orthodoxy and assumption of new roles this group’s self- and public images have become transformational. What is an image? What does it do? Where lies the truth and power of images?”
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Excerpt from the book’s introduction
“I have seen the African underbelly of the global marketplace. It is entirely urban, composed of young to middle-aged women, newly literate and entrepreneurial in spirit. They live in the former Portuguese colony, now the Republic, of Cape Verde, West Africa. This study examines their emergent entrepreneurial lives during the 1990s, their views about their work and their lives, and their rejection of traditional West African womenís roles. As improbable as it may seem this lively group has transformed their public image, used it as an organizing principle for action and modified that of the nation.
This word, image, conjures up a host of meanings: as an illusion, as simulation, vision, reflection, reproduction, subjective knowledge, as an interpretive tool. In this study I shall rely primarily on image-as-idea, one which straddles percept and reality and which resides in a process of representation basic to human social life. To support this proposition I have summoned an assemblage of scholars in fundamental agreement about the power of image to shape, interact with and transform reality. “
– Jean Ludtke
Bibliography / Sources
- “Cape Verde’s Empresarias: Image and Reality,” Journal of International Women’s Studies: Vol. 4(3) by Jean Ludtke, Bridgewater State College, 2003 on Bridgewater State University website.
