Theory in the Flesh
I borrow the term ‘theory in the flesh’ from, and with gratitude to, our feminist & QTIPOC elders to draw attention to the health inequalities & disparities experienced by queer Black people in the UK. In this series, ‘theory in the flesh’ becomes an intellectual & emotional framework through which we understand the connection between the UK’s health infrastructure, biopolitics of citizenship & our liveliness. Through conversations with health professionals, grassroots organisers, activists & scholars, we explore examples from interconnected communities & learn how to demand more from the organisations, institutions & politicians that are ostensibly established, resourced & empowered to serve the health of a nation.
Theory in the Flesh was 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
THE CONVERSATIONS
Redress the systemic injustices that continue to leave so many of our people behind
End the economic disempowerment, homelessness & isolation of LGBTQ refugees
MODEL THE masculinity, CARE & COMMUNITY WE HOPE MEN & BOYS can ASPIRE TO
stop the top-down approaches to health research & interventions that cost lives
Effect meaningful change by consistently funding grassroots organisations
ADDRESS THE SHAME EXPERIENCED BY PEOPLE OF COLOUR IN BRITAIN FOR SIMPLY EXISTING IN RACIST SOCIETY
Background photo by Lerone Pieters
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