Continuing the dialogue: postcolonial feminist scholarship and Bourdieu — discourses of culture and points of connection

Abstract

Postcolonial feminist theories provide the analytic tools to address issues of structural inequities in groups that historically have been socially and economically disadvantaged. In this paper we question what value might be added to postcolonial feminist theories on culture by drawing on Bourdieu. Are there points of connection? Like postcolonial feminists, he puts forward a position that aims to unmask oppressive structures. We argue that, while there are points of connection, there are also epistemologic and methodologic differences between postcolonial feminist perspectives and Bourdieu's work. Nonetheless, engagement with different theoretical perspectives carries the promise of new insights - new ways of 'seeing' and 'understanding' that might enhance a praxis-oriented theoretical perspective in healthcare delivery.

Uniting Postcolonial, Discourse, and Linguistic Theory to Explore Participation of African Americans in Cancer Research as an Effect of Social and Historical Race Relationships

“…[21][22][23][24]29 The words difference, race, culture, and ethnicity are often used in various discourses, many times inconsistently, to represent and reference people as inferior or marginal. [21][22][23][24]30 The meaning of race over time, as it is represented in health-science literature, has vacillated from descriptive characteristics to biological fact and to a social construction.…”

“…[21][22][23][24]29 The words difference, race, culture, and ethnicity are often used in various discourses, many times inconsistently, to represent and reference people as inferior or marginal. [21][22][23][24]30 The meaning of race over time, as it is represented in health-science literature, has vacillated from descriptive characteristics to biological fact and to a social construction. Although the predominant understanding of race is currently as a category of biological origin versus a social construction, 30 postcolonial theory suggests that racial identities are shaped by the social structures and relations in and through which they are created and reproduced.…”

“…[21][22][23][24] Postcolonialism allows us to consider the descriptive terminology and classification of African American individuals as a historical and social construction with material effects and to examine the impact of these construction activities as they relate to efforts to increase the participation of African Americans in cancer clinical trials.…”

Development From the Margins? Mobile Technologies, Transnational Mobilities, and Livelihood Practices Among Ghanaian Women Traders

“…Theorizing from the standpoint of those at the margins, postcolonial feminists aim to disrupt "master" narratives by calling attention to intersectionality and multiple forms of oppression-class, gender, race, and ethnicity, highlighting the heterogeneity of women's experiences (Anderson, Reimer Kirkham, Browne, & Lynam, 2007;Bastia, 2014;Lewis & Mills, 2003;Mohanty, 1988Mohanty, , 2003aSpivak, 1988). Theorizing from this standpoint requires a move away from generalizations about Third World women as a homogenous group.…”

Social paediatrics: creating organisational processes and practices to foster health care access for children ‘at risk’

“…The conception is informed by insights from the foundational work on social paediatrics as articulated by Julien and others (Anderson et al, 2007;Julien 2004Julien , 2006Manciaux et al, 1978) by related research and practice in population health and community paediatrics (Baker et al, 1999;Bronfenbrenner, 1986;Irwin et al, 2007;Kemmis and McTaggart, 2000;Kershaw et al, 2007;Kitzman et al, 1997Kitzman et al, , 2000Lerner, 1991;Margolis et al, 2001;Olds et al, 1997Olds et al, , 2004aPelto et al, 1999;Werner, 1997) and by programmes of research with marginalised groups (Lynam, 2005;Lynam and Cowley, 2007;Power et al, 1991Power et al, , 2002. While there is considerable research on PHC access, with few exceptions (i.e.…”