This Ghanaian barrister is building bridges between law, feminism, and social change

November 23, 2025

Dr. J. Jarpa Dawuni is a Ghanaian-born legal scholar and Full Professor of Political Science at Howard University who has dedicated her career to amplifying African women's voices in law and leadership. Through her interdisciplinary work combining law, political science, and gender studies, she identified and filled a critical gap in academic literature regarding African women in the legal profession, conducting fieldwork across multiple countries and developing the theoretical framework of matri-legal feminism.

Who is affected

African women in law and the legal profession across multiple countries
Students and faculty at Howard University, particularly those engaged with the Center for Women, Gender, and Global Leadership
Black and Afro-descendant women judges (subjects of her NSF study)
Judges and lawyers receiving training on gendered dimensions of law and workplace harassment
Communities and clients served by gender-conscious legal professionals
Women and gender studies scholars and students
Early-career scholars and activists seeking mentorship and guidance
Dr. Jarpa Dawuni's family, including her role as mother and aunt

What action is being taken

Dr. Jarpa Dawuni is conducting research with a gendered lens across judicial politics, women in legal professions, gender and law, democratization, and international human rights
She is serving as Full Professor of Political Science at Howard University
She is directing the Center for Women, Gender, and Global Leadership at Howard University
She is serving as Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation study on Black and Afro-descendant women judges
She is training judges and lawyers to recognize gendered dimensions of law and workplace harassment
She is documenting and historicizing stories of African women in law through writing and fieldwork

Why it matters

Dr. Jarpa Dawuni's work addresses a critical absence in academic literature and professional practice regarding African women's experiences in law and leadership. Her approach demonstrates that supporting women in influential positions—judges, lawyers, academics—creates ripple effects throughout legal systems and communities, as these professionals then advocate for other women and bring gender-conscious perspectives to their work. By developing matri-legal feminism and centering African matriarchal experiences, she challenges Western-dominated feminist frameworks and provides theoretical grounding for understanding women's experiences across different cultural contexts. Her institutional building, particularly establishing Howard's first Center for Women, Gender, and Global Leadership, creates lasting infrastructure for future generations of scholars and activists. Her work bridges the gap between elite activism and grassroots impact, showing that consciousness-raising among decision-makers can transform access to justice for ordinary people.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Global Voices