(Re)Imagining Africanness through the decolonial self
Type
conference contribution
Date Issued
2024-10-02
Author(s)
Abstract
Velickovic conceptualises (un)belonging as “a productive tension” that through its “performative and imaginative potential” allows for the transformation of “painful experiences of unbelonging into creative counter-strategies.” To be African in the European academy is to hold a contested position due to historical views of Africans as knowable rather than knowledgeable beings; it is to be longing for something tangible yet out of reach, creating tensions that must be addressed.
This collaborative workshop aims to engage with the complexities of belonging through individuals’ continual re-positioning in postcolonial societies and institutions. It is envisioned as an intimate, creativity-fostering space in which stories of (un)belonging foster explorations into the intersubjectivity of the (in)voluntary inheritance of the transgenerational migratory experience. The decolonial self - the result of this constant re-positioning - becomes the site, in which tensions transform into agency and self-empowerment.
In order to work in an intimate space that creates a trusting environment, a maximum of 15 participants would be ideal. Collaboratively and with the existing knowledge of the participants, we will work in groups to capture the various aspects of responses to this tension, such as “space”, “music”, “language”, and “emotions”. As a means of decolonial knowledge production, the session's findings will be used to create a piece of art whose format will be decided by the participants. In keeping with decolonial principles, the output from the workshops will be made publicly available and easily accessible to all interested.
This collaborative workshop aims to engage with the complexities of belonging through individuals’ continual re-positioning in postcolonial societies and institutions. It is envisioned as an intimate, creativity-fostering space in which stories of (un)belonging foster explorations into the intersubjectivity of the (in)voluntary inheritance of the transgenerational migratory experience. The decolonial self - the result of this constant re-positioning - becomes the site, in which tensions transform into agency and self-empowerment.
In order to work in an intimate space that creates a trusting environment, a maximum of 15 participants would be ideal. Collaboratively and with the existing knowledge of the participants, we will work in groups to capture the various aspects of responses to this tension, such as “space”, “music”, “language”, and “emotions”. As a means of decolonial knowledge production, the session's findings will be used to create a piece of art whose format will be decided by the participants. In keeping with decolonial principles, the output from the workshops will be made publicly available and easily accessible to all interested.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Event Title
Reconfigurations in Africa - and in African Studies
Event Location
Universität Bayreuth
Event Date
30.09.- 02.10.2024