This book draws on a unique theoretical framework informed by clinical case studies, Fanonian and Lacanian psychoanalysis, and decolonial feminism, to examine the concept of adornment in African cultures.
The book discusses the construction of aesthetic feminine ideals and the evolution of such ideals within the history of colonization, decolonization and globalization. Through the analysis of adornments including accessories, hairstyle, clothes and fabric, the author demonstrates how they can reflect social status, and also addresses its symbolic function in rituals. At the level of the individual, it draws on clinical case studies to examine the Lacanian theory of adornment and masquerade of femininity, and the extent to which this echoes ambivalent attitudes towards women in society at large. In doing so it provides a nuanced analysis which reveals how body adornment can be a paradoxical demonstration of both strength and weakness.
Building on the author’s previous work in this area, this book offers an important contribution to current debates in psychoanalysis, cultural studies, critical race theory and decolonial feminism.
Author(s): Ismahan Soukeyna Diop
Series: Pan-African Psychologies
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 193
City: Cham
Foreword
References
Acknowledgments
Contents
1: Introduction
2: Representation of the Feminine Body
2.1 Sculpting a Body
2.1.1 The Body in the Social Dynamic
2.1.2 Mothering and Early Psychological Construction
2.2 A Beautiful Mind
2.2.1 Influential Feminine Figures in African Mythology
2.2.2 Good Women and Suitable Mothers
2.2.3 Women’s Emancipation and Social Representation
2.3 Shape and Boundaries
2.3.1 Body Image and Postural Scheme
2.3.2 Symbolic Organs of Femininity and Maternity
References
3: The Divine Aspect of Beauty
3.1 Beauty as a Symbol of Purity
3.1.1 From the Cultural Perspective
3.1.2 From the Religious Perspective
3.1.3 From the Psychoanalytical Perspective
3.2 Beauty as a Symbol of Malevolence
3.2.1 The Devouring Mother
3.2.2 Envy and Ambivalence
3.2.3 Man Versus Nature
References
4: Adornment and Symbolism
4.1 Adornment and Rituals
4.1.1 Rites of Passage
4.1.2 Giving and Receiving in the Cycle of Exchange
4.1.3 Costumes and Their Cultural Symbolism
4.2 External Signs of Social Classes
4.2.1 Gold as a Privilege for the Higher Classes
4.2.2 Society Structured by Adornment
4.2.3 Gold in African Cultures
References
5: Adornment and Social Representation
5.1 Intersectionality and Black Femininity
5.1.1 Blackness and Colonialism
5.1.2 Skin Color, Hairstyle, and Identity
5.1.3 Alterity in Psychoanalysis
5.2 Adornment as a Method of Social Recognition
5.2.1 Social Stigma and Women’s Aesthetic
5.2.2 Religious Aestheticism and Identity
5.2.3 Decolonizing Women’s Body
References
6: Masquerade and Femininity
6.1 Masquerade and the Game of Power
6.1.1 Perspectives of the Feminine Oedipus and Superego
6.1.2 Mother–Daughter Relationship, the Experience of Ravage
6.1.3 Masquerade as a Strategy
6.2 Adornment as an Optical Illusion of the Feminine Mystery
6.2.1 Femininity and Masquerade in Society
6.2.2 Veil of Femininity or Masquerade
6.2.3 Masquerade and Women’s Empowerment
References
7: Theoretical-Clinical Articulation and Analysis
7.1 Methodology and Ethics
7.1.1 Methodology
7.1.2 Ethics
7.1.3 Transference and Countertransference Mechanisms
7.2 Clinical Illustrations and Theoretical-Clinical Interpretation
7.2.1 Mrs A
7.2.2 Mrs M.
7.2.3 Discussion
References
8: Conclusion
Index
