Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Art Business

Abstract

This dissertation examines how three Ghanaian women-led art institutions practise what this study terms “entrepreneuring otherwise”: a feminist and decolonial mode of enterprise grounded in care, community, and epistemic sovereignty. Focussing on Ɛdan, ANO Institute of Arts and Knowledge, and Nubuke Wa, the research investigates how they navigate their environments, illustrating the strategies used to respond to both the rich cultural histories of Ghana and the systemic conditions shaped by limited state support, fragmented cultural policy, and predominantly informal economies, which ultimately create fertile ground for reimagining and innovation.

Situated within feminist epistemologies and decolonial thought, the study applies the concept of “entrepreneuring” (Calás et al., 2009) to challenge neoliberal and capitalist paradigms that typically define art business. It argues that these institutions articulate imaginaries that are neither derivative of Western models nor peripheral but generative in their own right, emerging from Ghana's layered histories of matriarchal governance, cultural innovation, and artistic resilience.

Methodologically, the research is grounded in feminist epistemology and constructivist ontology, privileging situated, relational, and co-created knowledge. The findings reveal three key contributions to art business: a reconfiguring of value, privileging reciprocity over extraction; the modelling of institutional alternatives that destabilise Western epistemic hierarchies; and epistemic interventions that advance feminist and decolonial futures. The study underscores the complex negotiations shaping these practices as well as the gendered challenges that the women continue to face in gaining legitimacy and sustaining their work.

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