Introducing Maât

Abstract

Maât, the ancient Egyptian goddess of justice and truth, the winged feminine manifestation and adjudicator of right order, is the first fruit of this quare-vindicationist-womanist project. References to her in “Maxims of the Prime Minister Ptahhotep” (circa 2450 BCE) are among the earliest and most prominent philosophical and material manifestations of Maât. In contrast with justice as the blindfolded woman with scales, Maât presents a different image with her outstretched wings and decisive feather—transforming experiences of justice. Maât demonstrates the promise of an alternative starting point for theorizations of justice for Black sexual ethics and beyond. Maât's impact is multidimensional, and she offers relevant guidance for discerning and embodying right order and justices for Black sexual ethics. With chapter summaries, the introduction provides a sketch of the steps in Black, Quare, and Then to Where's dancing mind.