Decolonising gender: Witches, nomads, and the colonial rule

What is gender, really? What is a woman and are there ways to escape the stigma of gender? This chapter departs from the iconic figure of the witch as a border-crossing nomad who actively destroys the boundaries of gender conventions, nations, and literary limitations. I summarise the historical roots of the gender binary and its connection to colonialism, capitalism, and the heterosexist patriarchal system that characterises contemporary ‘developed’ societies. My investigation takes place from an interdisciplinary departure point that draws on decolonial studies, and critical queer and post-queer approaches. I argue that European colonialism, anti-Semitism, the historical witch-hunts and contemporary Islamophobia are rooted in the same historical events that co-constructed gender and race in Modernity and coloniality. The central figure of the witch leads the way to liberating ways to understand womanhood and femininity in a non-hierarchical fashion.