Gender and race from a decolonial perspective

Abstract

This article proposes to understand the relations between gender and race from a decolonial perspective, which enables us to understand the complexity of oppressions that impact women, especially black women. The line of argument will be anchored by the following question: how are ideas of gender and race constructed from a decolonial perspective? Therefore, I initially present a brief retrospective of the records of decolonial theory, deepening reflections on the main premises of this theoretical current, and then carrying out an interconnection between gender and race, in order to reveal a more in-depth understanding of the dynamics of power, oppression and resistance that characterize societies, from this perspective. In methodological terms, a scan of the literature was carried out in order to construct discussions expressed by the categories developed by decolonial feminism, in light of accurate analyzes by renowned authors in the area. As a consequence, it became clear that from the perspective of coloniality, the category of gender is understood as intricately linked to historically constructed power relations. In turn, the intersection between gender and race is fundamental to understanding the complexities of individual experiences. These categories interact in unique ways, shaping the experiences and challenges faced by women and men from different ethnic groups.