There has been an increasing awareness of the need for alternative ways to produce knowledge that challenges dominant colonial paradigms and hierarchies within academia. This is especially important in fields such as queer studies, which have traditionally centered whiteness, heterosexuality, and cisgender identities as the norm. One approach that has gained traction is decolonial queer research methodologies, which seek to challenge the power structures that have shaped how we understand and produce knowledge about sex, sexuality, and gender. By drawing on indigenous epistemologies and decolonizing methodological approaches, these frameworks offer new possibilities for understanding and representing diverse forms of embodied experience, including those related to sex, sexuality, and intimacy. In this paper, I will explore some key concepts and practices associated with decolonial queer research methodologies and their potential for disrupting conventional academic hierarchies and knowledge production.
One central aspect of decolonial queer methodologies is the emphasis on relationships as the basis for all knowledge production. Rather than seeing knowledge as something that is produced by individuals or groups, decolonial queer scholars argue that it emerges from the interconnections between people, animals, plants, objects, landscapes, and other beings. This relational ontology rejects a binary separation between subject and object and recognizes that all things are part of complex webs of interaction. As Kumari Jayawardena puts it, "Knowledge is not simply a product of individual minds or societies but arises from relations and interactions among many kinds of knowing subjects."
Another critical feature of decolonial queer research methodologies is the recognition of non-binary genders and sexualities. Traditional Western academic frameworks often privilege cisgender identities and heterosexuality, which reinforces colonial power dynamics that position certain bodies and desires as normal while excluding others. Decolonial queer studies challenges these normative categories by foregrounding the fluidity and diversity of gender and sexual identities and exploring how they intersect with race, class, ability, age, and other social locations.
Some scholars have argued that indigenous epistemologies can provide insights into alternative ways of understanding sex, sexuality, and intimacy that challenge dominant discourses.
A third element of decolonial queer research methodologies is the use of storytelling as a way to generate new forms of knowledge. Storytelling has been an important practice in many indigenous cultures, and decolonial queer scholars recognize its potential for generating diverse perspectives on sex, sexuality, and intimacy. By using narratives as a form of inquiry, decolonial queer researchers seek to bring marginalized voices and experiences into the academic conversation while destabilizing dominant narratives about gender and sexuality. This approach allows for more nuanced and complex understandings of identity, desire, and embodiment.
Decolonial queer research methodologies also emphasize collaborative and collective approaches to knowledge production. Rather than relying solely on individual scholarship or competing for prestige within the academy, this framework seeks to build relationships between researchers, communities, and institutions. This involves acknowledging the contributions of different knowledges, valuing multiple modes of inquiry, and recognizing the interdependence between researcher and researched. It also involves creating spaces for critical reflection and dialogue, where scholars can engage with each other's work, challenge assumptions, and push the boundaries of what is possible within academia.
How can decolonial queer research methodologies challenge conventional academic hierarchies and knowledge production?
Decolonial queer research methodologies challenge traditional academic hierarchies and knowledge production by promoting critical inquiry that prioritizes marginalized voices and experiences. The approach seeks to reframe the dominant narratives of queer studies and center indigenous perspectives in order to disrupt colonial power dynamics.