Floretta Boonzaier

Dr. Floretta Boonzaier is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and Co-Director of the Hub for Decolonial Feminist Psychologies in Africa. Her research focuses on feminist, critical, postcolonial and decolonial psychologies, with particular emphasis on subjectivity, intersectionality, race, gender, sexuality, and gender-based violence. Her work examines the social and historical contexts of violence, including intimate partner violence and femicide, while exploring how gender, identity, power and inequality shape lived experiences. She is particularly interested in qualitative, narrative, discursive and participatory research methodologies, through which she investigates marginalised voices, resistance, and possibilities for social transformation. Her scholarship contributes to broader discussions on gender justice, decolonial feminist thought, and the development of more ethical and contextually grounded approaches to researching violence and trauma. She has published extensively in academic journals and books, including collaborative work on decolonial feminist community psychology, masculinities and intimate partner violence, and Pan-Africanism and psychology in decolonial times. Alongside her research, she contributes to postgraduate supervision, academic teaching, scholarly leadership and international research collaboration. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Cape Town.

My research is situated at the intersection of critical psychology, decolonial feminist scholarship, African Studies and social justice. Over the past two decades, I have developed an interdisciplinary research programme that examines how histories of colonialism, racism, patriarchy, and structural inequality shape contemporary experiences of identity, violence, wellbeing, and social transformation across African contexts. My work seeks to contribute to the production of knowledge grounded in African realities while engaging with broader global debates on inequality, social justice, and human flourishing. My scholarship aligns strongly with the mission of the KU Kansas African Studies Center (KASC) through its commitment to advancing innovative research on Africa, strengthening interdisciplinary African Studies, and deepening understanding of African societies and their global connections. 

A central focus of my research has been the study of gender-based violence and intimate partner violence in South Africa. Drawing on decolonial feminist and intersectional frameworks, I investigate how violence is shaped by historical and contemporary forms of power, including colonial legacies, racialisation, economic exclusion, and gender hierarchies. This work has included research on men and masculinities, violence prevention, interventions with men who use violence, and the lived experiences of women and gender-diverse people navigating violence and inequality. 

A second strand of my scholarship examines African feminist and decolonial psychologies. I am particularly interested in how knowledge about African lives is produced, whose knowledge is legitimised, and how African-centred and feminist epistemologies can contribute to more just and transformative forms of scholarship. Through books, collaborative research networks, and the Hub for Decolonial Feminist Psychologies in Africa, I have worked to advance theoretical and methodological approaches that centre African experiences, histories, and intellectual traditions. 

My research also explores the experiences of young people, particularly regarding gender, sexuality, citizenship, and social change. Using participatory visual methodologies such as Photovoice, I collaborate with young people to document and analyse their own experiences of identity, inequality, aspiration, and belonging. These projects investigate how youth navigate intersecting issues of race, gender, sexuality, migration, and community life within rapidly changing African societies. I am especially interested in how participatory and communityengaged research can generate both scholarly insight and social impact. 

More recently, my work has expanded to include migration, transnational precarity, HIV, technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and the experiences of marginalised communities within African and diasporic contexts. Across these areas, I remain committed to understanding how individuals and communities negotiate structural constraints while creating possibilities for resistance, agency, care, and collective transformation. 

As an African scholar committed to interdisciplinary collaboration, I am particularly interested in engaging with KASC affiliates working across the humanities and social sciences. I see significant opportunities for collaboration around African feminist and decolonial thought, gender and sexuality studies, youth and social transformation, migration and mobility, decolonial methodologies, and Pan-African perspectives on knowledge production. Through such collaborations, I hope to contribute to KASC's mission of advancing innovative African scholarship, fostering international partnerships, and promoting a richer understanding of Africa and its diasporas.