The Black Atlantic Metaphysics of Azealia Banks: Brujx Womanism at the Kongo Crossroads. (23rd September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pérez, Elizabeth
• Is Part Of: Hypatia. Volume 36:Number 3(2021)
• Page Start: 519
• Page End: 546
• Publication Date: 2021-09-23
• Subjects: Feminist theory -- Periodicals; Feminism -- United States -- Periodicals; Femininity (Philosophy) -- Periodicals; 305.4201
• DOI: 10.1017/hyp.2021.39
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0887-5367

Abstract

Abstract: Controversial Harlem-born rapper/singer, songwriter, and provocateuse Azealia Banks is the most (in)famous, vocal, and visible proponent of Black Atlantic traditions in recent times—making a critical reckoning well overdue. I begin here by tracing Banks's engagement with Afro-Diasporic religions (including Caribbean Espiritismo, Afro-Cuban Lucumí, and Dominican "21 Divisions") as a trajectory from vamp to bruja [witch]/ santera to mayombera . A review of Banks's public statements reveals her growing commitment to championing "so-called voodoo" and urging other African Americans to do so as well. I argue that the release of Beyoncé's Lemonade in 2016 catalyzed Banks's advocacy for Kongo-inspired Palo Mayombe, long overshadowed by Yorùbá-based orisha worship. I further demonstrate that Banks's espousal of Palo Mayombe has been bound up with her identity as a Womanist and dark-skinned, cisgender femme fatale . More than a political program, however, Banks's discursive constructions amount to a Black Atlantic metaphysics. Drawing on Irene Lara's formulation of "bruja positionalities, " I propose that the theoretical scaffolding for her metaphysics should be designated Brujx Womanism. Missteps notwithstanding, Banks emerges as a metaphysician, aspiring to repair Black bodies by re-membering Kongo traditions. In closing, I suggest that Banks's Brujx Womanism may contribute to the conceptualization of Conjure Feminism in four crucial respects.