With the support of Foundaton de France (external link), African Futures Lab has embarked on this initiative which aims to systematically address the enduring impact of racial prejudice against Black women, tracing its roots from colonial times to its present-day manifestations. This prejudice, unfortunately, continues to enable physical, social, political, and economic violence against Black women in both Europe and Africa.
Our core objective is to significantly raise public awareness regarding these persistent racial prejudices and actively confront the resulting injustices and suffering. Drawing on rigorous data from a comprehensive research report, this project seeks to inform and mobilize public opinion, civil society organizations, and authorities about the compounding 'double violence' experienced by Black women at the intersection of race and gender.
We will illuminate how deeply ingrained racial stereotypes have shaped historical narratives and continue to fuel contemporary injustices, demonstrating the unchanging nature of these views over time and their concrete materialization in public policies and private sector practices. In essence, we aim to highlight how Black women's bodies have been instrumentalized in colonial expansionist policies and continue to be a tool in contemporary racial and patriarchal domination.
Project Approach
To achieve this, we are conducting a 6-month research project documenting the continuity of stereotypes and injustices persisting against black women from colonization to the present day in 4 former colonial powers (France, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Germany) and in their former colonies (Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Kenya and Namibia).
Meet our Researchers
Daphné Budasz, PhD
Daphné Budasz, PhD is historian specializing in the history of colonialism, gender and race.
In this project, Daphné is covering France and Belgium and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal.
She holds a PhD in history from the European University Institute in Florence. Her PhD dissertation, "Cross-Cultural Intimacy, Imperial Migration and Race in British East Africa (1895-1920s)," explores how racial, sexual and gender norms were conceived, interpreted, experienced and, most importantly, challenged in colonial context.
Daphné's broader research interests encompass coloniality, decoloniality, colonial memory, racial discourse, and the legacies of colonialism in Europe. In her work, she critically engages with postcolonial, decolonial, and intersectional approaches.
Beyond her academic research, Daphné is a committed public historian, who has been actively involved in various public history projects and who has several years' experience working for cultural institutions and museums. She also contributes to decolonial and antiracist activism.
Gavaza Maluleke
Dr. Gavaza Maluleke works as a lecturer in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Cape Town. She holds a PhD from the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz.
In this project, drawing on her expertise in decolonial theory and African studies, Gavaza will cover the United Kingdom and Germany and Kenya and Namibia.
Gavaza's research interests span digital activism, transnational feminisms, decolonial theory, migration, gendered violence, masculinities, and media studies in Africa. Her current work focuses on digital activism and gendered violence in Post-Apartheid South Africa, with a particular emphasis on the women's movement.
Prior to her current role, Gavaza held several postdoctoral positions, including at the Democracy, Governance, and Service Delivery Unit at the Human Sciences Research Council, and as part of the Becoming Men Research team at the University of Amsterdam.
She has also served as a research consultant at the United Nations University Institute on Globalization, Culture and Mobility.
Stay Connected
This research is currently underway, and we invite you to follow our journey.
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Want to collaborate, contribute, or host a conversation?
We welcome engagement from universities, advocacy groups, and civil society organizations across Europe and Africa.
Contact us at info@afalab.org.