Co-hosted by the Perivoli Africa Research Centre (PARC) and the University of Bristol's Faculty of Social Sciences and Law International Development Research Group, Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair Professor Puleng Segalo of the University of South Africa will present a research paper
Abstract: The presentation will engage the ways in which needlework in the form of embroidery can be used to visually depict how gendered violence affects women. I will pay specific attention to describing an embroidery initiative that followed on from my ongoing project in collaboration with a community of women where the focus was on the everydayness of gender-based violence. I will endeavour to show how through embroideries, we can visibilise public health challenges faced by birthing (black) women in South Africa. Birthing a new life is a momentous occasion. It is expected to be celebratory; a time filled with pride surrounded by compassion, care, kindness and nurturing. What generally remains hidden, is the process of birthing, particularly when a woman has faced disrespect by the health team leading to traumatic encounters. In recent years, shocking personal stories have emerged, leading to a wave of collective activism to address the silences surrounding abusive and traumatic birthing experiences in medical facilities. The presentation will highlight how the visual artifacts (embroideries) can serve as a decolonial impulse that make visible the silences around obstetric violence.
Chair: Dr Adrian Flint, Associate Professor in Development Politics, School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies