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WORLD ANTHROPOLOGICAL UNION

CONGRESS 2024​

Paper

Exposing feminists' critique of white privilege in Europe from a South African perspective

presenters

    Univ. Prof. Dr . Marina Grzinic

    Nationality: Slovenia

    Residence: Austria

    Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

    Presence:Online

Keywords:

South Africa, conviviality as potentiality, white feminist privilege

Abstract:

I will intervene as part of a research project Conviviality as Potentiality: From Amnesia and Pandemic towards a Convivial Epistemology, funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF, AR 679), and based at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna from 2021 to 2025. Conviviality as potentiality is explored in the context of relevant problems in five countries: South Africa (SA), Australia, Austria, Israel and Lebanon. This panel presentation will focus on a decolonial research in South Africa to question European white feminist privilege. This approach will highlight the work of Koleka Putuma, Nomusa Makhubu and other powerful performers and researchers. The aim is to expose relevant productions of art and knowledge in the post-apartheid SA times, that highlight the need for solidarity and collective action. In South Africa, the focus on feminist critique provides an angle from which to examine the ongoing effects of colonialism and apartheid, particularly in relation to race, gender and class. This critique is central to understanding how conviviality can be reimagined and enacted in postcolonial contexts. The presentation engages with current developments in decolonial theory, trans studies and contemporary performance practice and explores how these areas influence and can be influenced by the concept of conviviality. It seeks to understand how different contexts and experiences can ground a convivial epistemology— an epistemology that values diversity and mutual respect. By linking theory and practice, the aim is to create new ways of understanding and addressing contemporary challenges through the lens of conviviality. This aspect of the research highlights how marginalized feminists, LGBTQI+ voices and perspectives challenge dominant narratives and contribute to a more just and inclusive society.