Unsettling knowledge boundaries

The Indigenous pitiki space for Basotho women's sexual empowerment and reproductive well-being

Bibliographic Data

ID3608902
AuthorsNeo Mohlabane (0000-0003-1417-0396, University of Pretoria, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume31
Issue2
Pages158-172
Publication date2022-05-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHealth Sociology Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1446-1242 • E-ISSN: 1839-3551
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14461242.2022.2079092
PMID35634929
OpenAlexW4281682812
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited34

Indigenous knowledge systems embody a holistic, inclusive view of the world and foreground interconnectedness for the promotion of life. Through reflective engagement with the author's positioning as an Indigenous researcher, this article explores Indigenous knowledges of sexual, reproductive health and motherhood shared by Basotho women. It draws on the life stories of twenty never-married women and uses decolonial African feminist approaches to challenge the assumed universality of conceptions of sexual and reproductive health that are both deeply embedded and produced within specific relations of power. It illuminates the Indigenous pitiki space as an Indigenous knowledge hub purposed to empower Basotho women's sexual and reproductive health. Within this space, Indigenous knowledges and skills are shared amongst women, with the elderly imparting knowledges to the young women. In the context of unsurmountable health disparities, the article shows how Indigenous knowledge-sharing outside the exclusive 'westernised' health systems enables communal support for the well-being of women and children in African contexts. It emphasises the need for inclusive and expansive knowledge production systems not only to better inform equitable health solutions for Indigenous communities but also for epistemic redress in the discipline of Sociology

Autonomy · Empowerment · Indigenous · Political science · Population · Project commissioning · Publishing · Redress · Reproductive health · Sociology · Traditional knowledge · African Sexualities and LGBTQ+ Issues · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Gender Studies · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Law · Ecology

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Open DOIOpen Access