Unsettling knowledge boundaries: the Indigenous pitiki space for Basotho women’s sexual empowerment and reproductive well-being

ABSTRACT

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Indigenous knowledge
• Lesotho
• decoloniality
• feminism
• sexuality
• reproductive health

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 I acknowledge my misuse of the Sesotho noun, Basotho, as an English adjective in ‘Basotho women’. However, specific reference to this group is necessary because not only does the paper addresses their specific needs, but it also celebrates and elevates the voices and knowledges of this particular group. I also acknowledge the differences within the group, and my reference to ‘Basotho women’ does not suggest essence or fixity.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.