Hair has long been modified for aesthetic and other ends. But skewed power structures have meant that women, particularly women of colour, have borne the brunt of stereotyping and prejudice.
“Black hair” has sparked a new racism row at a top South African school.
Yves Herman/Reuters
When it comes to black hair, “common sense” is the least reliable tool for decision making since even black people are constantly changing their minds about what they want to do with their hair.
Balkissa Maiga, 17, wears a traditional Songhai headdress made by artisan Hally Bara in Gao, Mali.
Reuters/Joe Penney
Traditionally, African women wore their hair in different ways to signify class or marriage status. Now with globalisation, hair is becoming less traditionalised and more politicised.
South African Research Chair in Teacher Education; Director of Centre for International Teacher Education (CITE) & Professor of International Education and Development Policy (University of Sussex, UK), Cape Peninsula University of Technology