Living a callejera methodology: Grounding María Lugones’ streetwalker theorizing in feminist decolonial praxis

Abstract

This intervention considers how the writings of María Lugones, a philosopher of feminist decolonial theory, might shape a callejera [streetwalker] feminist decolonial methodology and what such a methodology might look like in practice. I describe how a callejera methodology foments deeper relationality by highlighting as methodological tools three of Lugones’ concepts: resisting ↔ oppressing, the collective and tantear en la oscuridad. To ground the theory and illustrate possibilities of deeper relationality offered by a callejera methodology, I reflect on on-going research with Colombian collectives actively negotiating experiences of indigeneity and womanhood in relation to histories of colonial and more recent armed violence, as well as ongoing state disinvestment. I make three contributions. First, I suggest that integrating an intersectional analytic of ‘both/and’ with the complex fluidity between Lugones’ concept of resisting ↔ oppressing permits scholars to better understand the negotiation of multiple, intermeshed identities and oppressions, social inequality and power relations in relation to colonial histories and presents. Second, I encourage geographers to embrace a decolonial lens attentive to the relationality between and among collectives, from which many acts of resistance begin. Finally, I consider how a callejera methodology considers coalitional work as central to the research process. Such work embraces difficulty, discomfort and messy relationality often negotiated as if walking blindly through the dark (tantear). I conclude by arguing that geographers’ relationally-based research can strengthen feminist decolonial thought in our attention to spatial and temporal scalar differences of place and our commitment to understanding contextually differentiated navigations of identity.

Keywords:

• Colombia
• callejera
• decolonial
• Lugones
• praxis
• tantear

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank those who gave close readings and generous feedback to this piece throughout its many iterations and life, most notably to Azita Ranjbar, Emma Velez, and Kelsey Emard. I am grateful to Kanchana N. Ruwanpura and the anonymous reviewers whose comments strengthened this piece. Thank you to discussants and colleagues at the AAG 2017, DOPE 2017 and Lugones 2018 conferences who have asked difficult questions. I owe deep respect and appreciation to the work of Penn State philosophy students in Mariana Ortega’s course on Latinx Feminisms. Deep gratitude to my colleagues in Tolima and Bogotá who continue to share life and work with me. Responsibility for all errors lies solely with the author.

Disclosure statement

There is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under grants number DGE1255832 and number BCS-1838402; Fulbright Program under grant number P022A180019-001; Penn State University’s Office of Global Programs; the College of Agricultural Sciences at the National University of Colombia at Bogotá; and Penn State’s Department of Geography.

Notes on contributors

Megan Dwyer Baumann

Megan Dwyer Baumann received her PhD from the Department of Geography at Penn State University. Her research focuses on human-environment relationships surrounding rural water megaprojects and the implications of megaproject development for landscapes and historically marginalized groups.