Nkhoma, Pearson. 2025. 'Homosexuality in Malawi and the Global South: The Colonial Legacy'. In: The 87th Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society. Salt Lake City, United States 30 July - 2 August 2025. [Conference or Workshop Item] (Forthcoming)

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Abstract or Description

Despite the UN's declaration that the criminalisation of homosexuality constitutes a severe human rights violation, same-sex marriage and intimacy, as well as gay marriage, remain illegal in several countries. Members of the LGBTQIA+ community in other countries continue to face the threat of extrajudicial killings, while even in countries where homosexuality is decriminalised or legalised, most LGBTQIA+ people continue to experience widespread homophobia and hate crimes based on their sexuality. Malawi, like many countries, grapples with issues related to LGBTQIA+ rights, social prejudices, and discrimination. As in most of sub-Saharan Africa, Malawi, which is a predominantly patriarchal and religiously conservative society, considers homosexuality detestable and criminalises it under Sections 153 and 154 of the country's Penal Code. LGBTQIA+ people continue to face widespread mob justice, persecution, and prosecution in Malawi. The country has been described as having "the harshest anti-gay laws in the world" with LGBTQIA+ people facing the possibility of a 14-jail sentence. Against this background, this paper scopes through the literature through critical and decolonial lens to make sense of these dominant perception as well as country’s position against homosexuality.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Keywords:	Homosexuality, Queer, Malawi, Colonialism, Intersectionality
Related URLs:	https://www.ruralsociology.org/annual-me...
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Social, Therapeutic & Community Engagement (STaCS) Social, Therapeutic & Community Engagement (STaCS) > Centre for Community Engagement Research
Dates:	Date Event 11 December 2024 Submitted 2 May 2025 Accepted 1 August 2025 Completed
Event Location:	Salt Lake City, United States
Date range:	30 July - 2 August 2025
Item ID:	38851
Date Deposited:	22 May 2025 16:29
Last Modified:	22 May 2025 16:29
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/38851

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