Towards a phenomenology of marginalized bodies in decolonial epistemology

Abstract

https://doi.org/10.1590/2179-8966/2026/94088

How can phenomenology contribute to a decolonial epistemology that explains and legitimizes the knowledge of marginalized bodies, subverting the coloniality of knowledge and their historical silencing? The objective of this article is to construct a phenomenological framework that integrates vivid corporeality (Leib), permeated by power relations, as a primordial condition of subaltern experiences, highlighting the political, epistemological, and ontological dimensions of bodily marginalization. The hypothesis is that traditional phenomenology can be critically revised to include corporeality marked by coloniality, opening space for pluriversal epistemologies that challenge Eurocentric hegemony and its false scientific neutrality, pointing to a necessary dialogue between phenomenology and decolonial thought. This approach is further enriched by contemporary perspectives, which highlight the contingency and vulnerability of marginalized bodies as loci of resistance and subversion.