Theory as a Liberatory Practice: How Do We Humanise Theory?
I learnt about Theory when I read bell hooks’ essay on Theory as a Liberatory Practice. In the essay, bell hooks summoned Black and African feminist scholars and activists to cultivate the art of theorising. She described Theory as a healing practice. I was intrigued to know that the process of thinking, dreaming and conceptualising different ways of doing things can be theorised. Through this essay, I recognised the importance of Theory as a liberatory tool. Hence, my interest in theorising and humanising Theory — is to liberate my mind from colonial capitalist ways of thinking and disrupt hegemonic structures.
The question, then, is, how can we humanise the art of theorising? What is the role of Theory in understanding the colonial capitalist and patriarchal systems we live in? While I do not have complete answers to these questions, I believe that the art of theorising is woven into the fabric of our daily lives. And indeed, we must humanise Theory that reflects our lived experiences as Africans.
Theorising does not become a liberatory tool if our theories do not concretize lived experiences of African women, girls and gender-expansive persons. And we need to see it that way.
I have developed three habits to humanise Theory. And I share these habits as my learnings in becoming the feminist scholar I want to be.
- Dream like a child:
My childhood was filled with unquestioned rules and structures. While my childhood environment expected nothing from me but obedience to the elders and seniors, It was difficult not to ask questions. Even now, living in a system that forces subservience, it has become daring to ask questions. But, as a child, I will ask my questions anyways. In his book The Significance of Theory, Terry Eagleton said, ‘children make the best theorists since they have not yet been educated into accepting our routine social practices as natural. Since they do not yet grasp our social practices as inevitable, they do not see why we might not do things differently’ To theorise as young African feminists is to remember childlikeness. As children, we questioned patriarchal structures at home, school, religious institutions, and social gatherings. Even though we did not describe the process of questioning and critiquing as ‘theorising’. We need more of us even now. Our liberation lies in the awakening of our dreams.
The audacity to disrupt cannot come from a place of fear and shame.
- Unlearn Shame:
In this world, shame is the consequence of being born female. From birth, a daily dose of shame is provided that reminds us of our subservient place in the world. To stifle our voice, to bleak our dreams, to force us to accept what is known and to stop us from dreaming about what is unknown but possible. In Nigeria, we have a famous phrase, ‘you cannot shame the shameless’. How can we be shameless? Unlearning shame is like flipping the switch. So pause, imagine the shame switch and turn it off! Every day, when you wake up, let that be the first thing you do. Unlearning shame will liberate our minds and awaken our inner child. Because without shame, we can breathe in new air, a new reality. The audacity to disrupt cannot come from a place of fear and shame.
Storytelling is the only way we can contribute to immortalising feminist epistemology.
- Tell Your Story:
In the concluding section of her essay, bell hooks inquired where the scholarship of feminist Theory and practice can be found. Knowing that the personal is political and the political is personal, we must cultivate the art of theorising through storytelling. In her book Decolonization and Afro-Feminism, Sylvia Tamale stressed that ‘storytelling is closely associated with Indigenous ways of knowing and fits perfectly with decolonising/decolonial discourses’. That is the only way we can contribute to immortalising feminist epistemology. As we live out our feminism daily, we must write about it too. What makes sense to you, and what does not? How are you sharing your feminist interventions to make sense of everyday life experiences? We cannot produce liberatory feminist theories as a collective if we do not share our testimonies. Where can we read your work?
So, here are my learning habits to humanise Theory. I hope that this article strengthens your conviction that your work matters.
Share your feminist practices with me in the comment section.
