Theory in the Flesh
I borrow the term “theory in the flesh” from, and with gratitude to, our feminist and QTIPOC elders to draw attention to the health inequalities and disparities experienced by queer Black people in the UK. In this season, “theory in the flesh” becomes an intellectual and emotional framework through which we can explore and understand the connection between the UK’s health infrastructure, the biopolitics of the state, citizenship and our liveliness. Through conversations with health professionals, grassroots organisers, activists and thinkers, we explore how we support each other as interconnected communities, as we demand more from the organisations, institutions and politicians that are ostensibly established, resourced and empowered to serve the health of a nation.
Theory in the Flesh is funded by the British Podcast Awards Fund and Wellcome Trust, and is available wherever you listen to podcasts.
“Theories in the flesh emphasize the diversity within and among gays, bisexuals, lesbians, and transgendered people of color while simultaneously accounting for how racism and classism affect how we experience and theorize the world. Theories in the flesh also conjoin theory and practice through an embodied politics of resistance. This politics of resistance is manifest in vernacular traditions such as performance, folklore, literature, and verbal art.”
E. Patrick Johnson, 2005
“A theory in the flesh means one where the physical realities of our lives – our skin colour, the land or concrete we grew up on, our sexual longings – all fuse to create a politic born out of necessity. Here, we attempt to bridge the contradictions in our experience. We do this bridging by naming ourselves and by telling our stories in our own words.”
Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa, 1983