Writing on the Body: Female Embodiment and Feminist Theory

By Katie Conboy

Book Overview

In many fields, the body is the topic generating exciting new research and interdisciplinary inquiry. Feminist theorists, in particular, have focused on the female body as the site where representations of difference and identity are inscribed. Drawn from a broad range of disciplines, Writing on the Body explores the tensions between women's lived bodily experiences and the cultural meanings inscribed on the female body. The volume includes classic and contemporary essays on rape, pornography, eroticism, anorexia, body building, menstruation, and maternity, and challenges racial, class and sexual categories. Complemented by the editors' introduction, Writing on the Body is a comprehensive sourcebook on the major theoretical positions and critical trends surrounding the female body.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231105452
• ISBN13: 9780231105453
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A great feminist reader

This is a wonderful collection of essays for anyone looking for an introduction to feminist theory, or simply for new ways to perceive and analyze the body. The bitesize samples of Judith Butler, Catharine MacKinnon, Audre Lorde, and bell hooks challenge the reader to confront contemporary issues such as rape, gender, and representations of women of color in ways that are radically different from mainstream thought.