The danger of a single feminist narrative: African-centred decolonial feminism for Black men

Abstract

abstract As scholars, we are trained and disciplined to build theory through telling particular stories of the people we research. Although these stories are often packaged as ‘science’, ‘research’ and ‘knowledge’, we ought to recognise that these stories are rooted within broader dynamics of power. Drawing on the work of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and other critical scholars, we seek to explore the dangers of a singular narrative, present in both public and academic feminist discourse, about Black men. In relation to feminist stories, it is particularly important to acknowledge that many of the stories that are told are rooted in a Western hegemony, measuring gender equality according to western ways of knowing and serving to legitimise neo-colonial forms of domination (Brenner, 2003). A western-centric, universalist feminism has resulted in a rigid understanding of hegemonic masculinity that is situated within a moralistic binary of victim and villain. In line with a desire to promote critical feminist scholarship beyond this binary, in this open forum article we examine the implications of popular movements such as the ##TheTotalShutdown and #MenAreTrash for boys, men and masculinities. As a conclusion we offer an invitation for further engagement around the possibilities of advancing a feminism that is committed to the promoting of positive masculinities rather than simply the surfacing of toxic masculinities.