Description
Book SynopsisDemonstrates that the sexually specific body is socially constructed: biology or nature is not opposed to or in conflict with culture. Examining the theories of Freud, Lacan, Merleau-Ponty, Foucault, Deleuze, Derrida, and more on the subject of the body, this title concludes that the body they theorize is male.
Trade Review"... one of the best cultural studies books on theories of the body." - Passion " ... Grosz writes a thorough and philosophically well-crafted prolegomenon for a new corporeal feminism." - Signs "Working through an impressive range of theories, it raises important questions and ventures into new terrain which invites further exploration."- Rocky Mountain Review " ... a must-read for feminist scholars and for any serious scholar of the body." - Review "Volatile Bodies is an enlightening and critically significant addition to feminist discussions of embodiment, sexuality, and difference." - Masculinities "This is a lucidly written study, which sets out debates clearly for those not familiar with the field, while being impressive in its erudition." - Radical Philosophy "This is a text of rare erudition and intellectual force. It will not only introduce feminist to an enriching set of theoretical perspectives but set a high critical standard for feminist dialogues on the body." - Judith Butler "Because it both offers arms for counterviolence and a sharply critical read of the philosophical foundations of much of the new critical work in anthropology, the book is highly recommended ..." - American Anthropologist Elizabeth Grosz examines the corporeal experiences unique to women- menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, menopause- to lay the groundwork for new theories of sexed corporeality.
Table of ContentsIntroduction and Acknowledgments
Part I. Introduction
1. Refiguring Bodies
Part II. The Inside Out
2. Psychoanalysis and Psychical Topographies
3. Body Images: Neurophysiology and Corporeal Mappings
4. Lived Bodies: Phenomenology and the Flesh
Part III. The Outside In
5. Nietzsche and the Choreography of Knowledge
6. The Body as Inscriptive Surface
7. Intensities and Flows
Part IV. Sexual Difference
8. Sexed Bodies
Notes
Bibliography
Index
