Mapping the margins: A decolonial exploration of Kenyan women's encounters with violent extremism
Sahla Aroussi, David Duriesmith, Fathima Azmiya Badurdeen and Michaelina Jakala, January 2026
Summary
This article explores violent extremism (VE) through an embodied, bottom-up lens, using body-mapping with Muslim women in Kenya. Drawing on two selected body maps, the authors critically interrogate the use of VE as a framework for analysing the harm experienced by women. Participants used the terminology of VE to refer to not only Al-Shabaab-related violence but also gender-based violence, gang violence, and state violence. The article contributes to feminist decolonial critiques of VE by centring the voices of those most impacted and questioning critiques that overlook lived experiences.
Keywords
violent extremism, gender, decolonial, body-mapping, Kenya, Muslim women, Al-Shabaab, gender-based violence
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