Norita Mdege has a PhD in film studies from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Her current research explores the representations of women politicians in Africa as a means to understand how such representations may impact their claims to political legitimacy. She is also working on a book-length project that explores the representations of African women and girls in films about African colonial and postcolonial conflicts. Her areas of interest include gender studies, women and girls in Africa, political conflict, African cinemas and cultural politics. She also has experience in making research videos and short documentaries. She is currently a Research Fellow at the Gender Centre.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters:

• Mdege, Norita (2020), “Your husbands are bringing it to you”: South African rural women and HIV in Darrell Roodt’s Yesterday (2004). Culture, Health & Sexuality, 22:S1, pp. 96-110, Taylor and Francis, DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2019.1658805
• Mdege, Norita (2020), Representations of Women’s Agency in African Anti-Colonial Struggles: The Case of Sambizanga (1972) and Mapantsula (1988). In Screen Culture in the Global South: Cinema at the End of the World, Antonio Traverso, Deane Williams, Keyan G. Tomaselli (eds), UK: Routledge
• Mdege, Norita (2019), Outsiders, fairytales and rainbowism in South African comedies: Soweto Green: This is a ‘Tree’ Story (1995) and Fanie Fourie’s Lobola (2013), Journal of African Cinemas, 11:1, pp. 11–29, Intellect, DOI: 10.1386/jac_00002_1
• Mudege, Netsayi N., Robert O.M. Mwanga, Norita Mdege, Tafadzwa Chevo, Putri E. Abidin (2018), Scaling up of sweetpotato vine multiplication technologies in Phalombe and Chikwawa districts in Malawi: A gender analysis, NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.njas.2018.05.003
• Mudege, Netsayi N, Norita Mdege, Putri E Abidin, Sandra Bhatasara (2017), The role of gender norms in access to agricultural training in Chikwawa and Phalombe, Malawi, Gender, Place & Culture (CGPC), http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0966369X.2017.1383363  

Policy brief:

• Mudege, Netsayi N., Daniel Mbiri, Norita Mdege, Margaret McEwan, David Spielman (2019), Making the agriculture sector work for young people: A tool to promote young men and women’s engagement, International Potato Centre, DOI: 10.4160/9789290605119

Works in Progress

• Women Politicians in Africa: War of Symbols and the Struggle for Political Legitimacy, book-length project.
• Representations of African Women and Girls in Films About Colonial and Postcolonial Conflicts, book-length project.