African somaesthetics: cultures, feminisms, politics

The American pragmatist, Richard Shusterman, has given shape to a field of study known as somaesthetics. In his formulation of this field, Shusterman (1999:302) recommends that, in philosophical discourse and in relation to aesthetic experience, close attention should be paid to 'bodily states and experiences'. His concern is especially to place the thinking body and its capacity of knowing at the centre of academic attention and to develop awareness of how the living body is experienced, used, and cultivated in particular situations. African somaesthetics: cultures, feminisms, politics (2020) takes up Shusterman's proposal by applying the discourse of somaesthetics to issues of race and gender in the contemporary African context. The chapters in this volume, therefore, focus on interrogating the body in African cultures in the context of colonisation, decolonisation, and globalisation. In her introductory chapter, editor Catherine F. Botha briefly explains that the contributors take Shusterman's conception of somaesthetics as a provocation that arouses and stimulates thinking around the importance of attending to the lived body in understanding human existence. Thus, each chapter offers a unique and refreshing view on the significance of the bodily dimension of aesthetic expression and experience in general. An interesting array of topics are covered in the volume, including albinism, film, philosophy, cultural activism, and various forms of dance including ballet, contemporary dance, and break dancing.