Decolonising My Body
A radical exploration of rituals and beauty
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:19th Oct '23
Should be back in stock very soon
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£10.99(9781529954197)
This book explores Afua Hirsch's transformative journey to redefine body image and beauty standards, emphasizing the importance of ancestry and self-acceptance.
Upon reaching the age of forty, Afua Hirsch experiences a transformative moment that challenges her understanding of ancestry and body image. This pivotal encounter leads her to reevaluate various aspects of life, including body-modification practices like tattoos and piercings, as well as deeper societal attitudes surrounding puberty, aging, and death. In Decolonising My Body, Hirsch embarks on a year-long journey of radical unlearning, blending personal anecdotes with global scholarship and interviews with beauty experts and practitioners.
Throughout the narrative, Hirsch critically examines the Eurocentric beauty standards that have influenced perceptions of individuals, particularly those from the Global Majority. By exploring the spiritual implications of how we adorn and present ourselves, she highlights the connections between beauty, history, and respectability politics. This exploration serves as a powerful reminder that our self-presentation is not merely superficial; it can profoundly shape the opportunities we envision for ourselves.
Decolonising My Body invites readers to reconnect with their own ancestry and liberate themselves from mainstream beauty standards that often fail to serve their true selves. Hirsch’s insights encourage a deeper understanding of the interplay between beauty and identity, ultimately empowering individuals to embrace their uniqueness and challenge societal norms.
Exceptionally rich, inspiring, challenging, wise and moving. I didn't realise I needed this book until I read it and felt stirrings towards my own ancestral awakening of African female cultural beliefs and practices that were sadly long ago lost to the colonial project. This is a ground-breaking book that speaks to all women. * Bernardine Evaristo, author of 'Girl, Woman, Other' *
There's something on every page of this book that you didn't know before, or makes you look at things a new. An important publication. -- Sathnam Sanghera, author of 'Stolen History' and 'Empireland'
Decolonising my Body is both a generous offering, and a joy filled testimony. Afua skilfully pulls us into her world, and generously allows us to accompany her on a journey of questioning and unpacking notions of beauty. This exploration lights a path for all people who seek to (re)connect with more expansive understandings of beauty. -- Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, author of 'The Sex Lives of African Women'
Afua has cut through so much of the noise to provide an enlightening and necessary reflection on how we can learn from the wisdom and beauty of our ancestors to become spiritually healthier humans. This book is a knowledge gift to us all. * Naomi Evans, author of 'The Mixed Race Experience', co-Founder of Everyday Racism *
The journalist, commentator and author of Brit(ish) reflects on twelve months radical unlearning of Eurocentric and patriarchal conventions of beauty in this powerful and challenging volume. * Waterstones, 'Best Books of 2023: Politics' *
A remarkable journey to unlearn western beauty standards and explore ancestral skin, hair and body modification rituals. -- Funmi Fetto * Observer *
Disarmingly honest... quietly radical * Evening Standard *
Praise for Brit(ish): Highly personal and yet instantly universal, this is a book that millions will instantly relate to. The book for our divided and dangerous times. * David Olusoga, author of 'Black and British' *
Praise for Brit(ish): A warm, informative and occasionally heart-wrenching blend of personal and political and the messiness between the two' * Nikesh Shukla, author of 'The Good Immigrant' *
ISBN: 9781529908664
Dimensions: 243mm x 180mm x 23mm
Weight: 764g
224 pages