| dc.description.abstract | This thesis is based on six months of ethnographic fieldwork among young middle class women in Nairobi, and focuses on their negotiations concerning the concept of feminism and feminist identities. It discusses what life is like for a young woman in Nairobi, and how class position affects one’s agency and abilities, and possibly also one’s view of feminism. Furthermore, this thesis focuses on how the concept of feminism is being problematized in the context of Nairobi, and how some women find it difficult to identify with it. I argue that this reluctance towards feminism is not rooted in a general resistance towards women empowerment, but rather has to do with the concept’s ‘Western’ origin and negative connotations. In addition, I discuss how feminist identities at work here are fluid, contextual and can be problematized in certain settings, both by society and by the feminist herself. Moreover, this thesis discusses how the women who do identify as feminists are emphasizing the need for an ‘African feminism’, one that accounts for their particular struggles and aspirations. They are thereby continually negotiating and developing their feminist identities so that it fits the specific context they find themselves in. I investigate how young women within a creative network in Nairobi are pushing feminism forward through, among other things, a practice I label performative feminism. They are highly inspired by global flows and trends, and are expressing their feminisms though their creative content and social media. I argue that these women might function as feminist role models, contributing to an effort of normalizing the concept. In addition, I discuss how feminist identity can affect young women’s views of their own sexuality, and their relationships to men. I also look at the negotiation of masculinities, and men’s views of feminism and gender equity, and arguing that an understanding of men’s views is crucial to fully understand women’s positions, too. Finally, one of the main arguments throughout this thesis is the importance of intersectionality and of an emphasis on the social and historical context in the study of feminism and feminist identities. Keywords: Feminism, Intersectional feminism, Gender, Globalization, Urbanity, Class, Consumption | eng |