From being a woman to desenssentialization of gender:

a perspective of the possibilities of being

Abstract

This article investigates what it means to be a woman in the context of decolonial philosophy, problematizing the naturalization of gender as a fixed essence and addressing its de-essentialization. The analysis is grounded in the works of Simone de Beauvoir, Patricia Hill Collins, and Judith Butler, weaving their contributions to understand gender as a social and historical construction. Initially, it discusses how colonial thought universalized a notion of woman that disregards the intersections of race, class, and culture. Subsequently, drawing on Collins, intersectionality is used as a critical tool to uncover structural oppressions. Finally, in light of Butler's theory of performative acts, it is argued that gender is not an essential given but rather a contingent performance subject to constant reconstructions. Hermeneutic phenomenology is employed as a methodology to reveal the hegemonic narratives that underpin these constructions. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of decolonizing gender discourses and recognizing the plurality of experiences that constantly challenge what it means to be a woman, both in global and localized contexts.