Taming monsters: Theorising erotic justice in Africa

Abstract

abstractWe cannot theorise what happens in Africa from an Afro-centred perspective without engaging the global power dynamics in knowledge production. So what lenses do we use to tackle the monsters of individualism, essentialisation and naturalisation while simultaneously being able to generalise?I address the ongoing epistemic violence of colonialism and its impact on postcolonial discourses. I argue that Afro-centred knowledge and philosophy should inform African theories of justice, but at the same time be critical of how local hegemonies operate. I suggest that human rights standards from the global North can be syncretised with African philosophies to develop a framework for addressing erotic justice in Africa.Key is moving away from individualistic conceptions of rights and justice, and (re)conceptualising everyday life as relational, embodied and contextual. I propose an Afro-centred ethic of care for understanding our intimate relationships as well as informing activism for erotic justice. Moreover, by using a relational framework we can shift our gaze from fixed identities to the dynamics of power in intimate relationships and struggle.