Language and Liberation: Feminism, Philosophy, and Language (S U N Y Series in Contemporary Continental Philosophy)

Presenting new and important scholarship in feminist language theory, this book addresses issues within diverse traditions, bringing together feminist positions, strategies, and styles in an original way. Gathering together authors with different backgrounds and methods, Language and Liberation puts this diverse scholarship into dialogue. The questions and concerns reflected in these essays are presented within the context of their historical background, provided by the editors' comprehensive Introduction. These questions include: Is there a distinction between "female" and "male" language? What is the relationship of feminine/feminist identity to language? What is the value of metaphor for feminist theory and practice? Language and Liberation......Page 1 CONTENTS......Page 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 8 Introduction How to Do (Feminist) Things with Words1......Page 9 Part I The Power of Words: Changing Meanings, Changing Social Spaces......Page 11 Part II The Power to Speak: Who Is Speaking, from Where?......Page 19 Part III The Power of Masculinist Metaphors: Words that Keep Women in Place......Page 24 Part IV The Power of Feminist Metaphors: Words that Open Spaces for Women......Page 30 Notes......Page 38 References......Page 43 1 Derogatory Terms......Page 48 The Problem......Page 50 Contextualism: An Inferential Role Theory of Meaning......Page 51 Social Context: An Absolutist Position Concerning Groups, Labels, and Power......Page 58 The Reclamation Project: Reclaiming Labels, Regaining Power......Page 63 Conclusion......Page 69 Notes......Page 74 References......Page 83 I. Women and Powerless Speech......Page 87 II. Women and Power......Page 89 III. A Different Way to Analyze Gender, Power, and Language......Page 92 IV. Beyond Masculinity and Femininity: Discourse Competence......Page 95 Notes......Page 100 References......Page 101 3 Surviving to Speak New Language......Page 104 Wielding Our Labryses: Mary Daly and the Deep Spinning Power of Metaphor......Page 107 Toward a Politics of Location: The Metonymic Poetry of Adrienne Rich......Page 116 Notes......Page 126 References......Page 130 4 From Revolution to Liberation......Page 133 Notes......Page 147 References......Page 150 PART TWO THE POWER TO SPEAK......Page 151 I. Articulating Silence......Page 152 II. The "Feminist" Label and the Dream of a Common Tongue......Page 153 III. Saying "We" Epistemologically and Politically......Page 156 IV. Reading (and) the "Experience of Real Women"......Page 159 V. Reading "Philomela" as a Feminist......Page 162 VI. Painful Politics and the Performative "We"......Page 170 Notes......Page 172 References......Page 174 6 Confessional Feminisms......Page 176 Embattled Subjects of Personal Disclosure: What's "I" Got to Do with "It"?......Page 177 Anatomizing Confession......Page 180 Personal Subjects in Contestatory and Expressive Confessional Modes......Page 182 Transgressive Acts: Violence of Confessions and Confessions of Violence......Page 185 Toward a Confessional Mode of Reflexivity......Page 193 Updating Confessing Feminist Theory......Page 197 Notes......Page 202 References......Page 205 7 The Postcolonial Critic......Page 209 Notes......Page 236 References......Page 240 PART THREE THE POWER OF MASCULINIST METAPHORS WORDS THAT KEEP WOMEN IN PLACE......Page 243 Introduction......Page 244 What "Man" Does......Page 245 The Personification of Man?......Page 248 Any-Woman and Every-Man......Page 253 Kant and His Two Mothers......Page 260 Conclusion......Page 266 References......Page 268 9 Frege's Metaphors......Page 271 Notes......Page 292 References......Page 297 Introduction......Page 298 Graphic Properties of the Hymen in "The Double Session"......Page 299 "Beneficent Figure"?......Page 303 Property Rights over Language and Writing......Page 305 Forced Figure......Page 307 Rhetorical Strategies of Euphemization: Metonymy and Metaphor......Page 309 Catachresis: Forgetting and Euphemizing a Violent History......Page 313 References......Page 318 PART FOUR THE POWER OF FEMINIST METAPHORS WORDS THAT OPEN SPACES FOR WOMEN......Page 320 I......Page 321 II......Page 328 Notes......Page 340 References......Page 343 12 Writing (into) the Symbolic......Page 345 Notes......Page 359 References......Page 362 13 Language and the Space of the Feminine......Page 364 Subjectivity, Language, and the Feminine......Page 365 Psychoanalysis, Feminine Agency, and the Body of the Mother......Page 372 Formalism versus Pragmatism: Textualizing Change, Exploding the Present......Page 382 Conclusions......Page 385 Notes......Page 387 References......Page 388 ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS......Page 390 B......Page 394 F......Page 395 J......Page 396 L......Page 397 R......Page 398 Z......Page 399 Language and Liberation 1 CONTENTS 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 8 Introduction How to Do (Feminist) Things with Words1 9 Part I The Power of Words: Changing Meanings, Changing Social Spaces 11 Part II The Power to Speak: Who Is Speaking, from Where? 19 Part III The Power of Masculinist Metaphors: Words that Keep Women in Place 24 Part IV The Power of Feminist Metaphors: Words that Open Spaces for Women 30 Notes 38 References 43 1 Derogatory Terms 48 The Problem 50 Contextualism: An Inferential Role Theory of Meaning 51 Social Context: An Absolutist Position Concerning Groups, Labels, and Power 58 The Reclamation Project: Reclaiming Labels, Regaining Power 63 Conclusion 69 Notes 74 References 83 2 Discourse Competence 87 I. Women and Powerless Speech 87 II. Women and Power 89 III. A Different Way to Analyze Gender, Power, and Language 92 IV. Beyond Masculinity and Femininity: Discourse Competence 95 Notes 100 References 101 3 Surviving to Speak New Language 104 Wielding Our Labryses: Mary Daly and the Deep Spinning Power of Metaphor 107 Toward a Politics of Location: The Metonymic Poetry of Adrienne Rich 116 Notes 126 References 130 4 From Revolution to Liberation 133 Notes 147 References 150 PART TWO THE POWER TO SPEAK 151 5 Disarticulated Voices 152 I. Articulating Silence 152 II. The "Feminist" Label and the Dream of a Common Tongue 153 III. Saying "We" Epistemologically and Politically 156 IV. Reading (and) the "Experience of Real Women" 159 V. Reading "Philomela" as a Feminist 162 VI. Painful Politics and the Performative "We" 170 Notes 172 References 174 6 Confessional Feminisms 176 Embattled Subjects of Personal Disclosure: What's "I" Got to Do with "It"? 177 Anatomizing Confession 180 Personal Subjects in Contestatory and Expressive Confessional Modes 182 Transgressive Acts: Violence of Confessions and Confessions of Violence 185 Toward a Confessional Mode of Reflexivity 193 Updating Confessing Feminist Theory 197 Notes 202 References 205 7 The Postcolonial Critic 209 Notes 236 References 240 PART THREE THE POWER OF MASCULINIST METAPHORS WORDS THAT KEEP WOMEN IN PLACE 243 8 Sublime Impersonation 244 Introduction 244 What "Man" Does 245 The Personification of Man? 248 Any-Woman and Every-Man 253 Kant and His Two Mothers 260 Conclusion 266 References 268 9 Frege's Metaphors 271 Notes 292 References 297 10 Free Gift or Forced Figure? 298 Introduction 298 Graphic Properties of the Hymen in "The Double Session" 299 "Beneficent Figure"? 303 Property Rights over Language and Writing 305 Forced Figure 307 Rhetorical Strategies of Euphemization: Metonymy and Metaphor 309 Catachresis: Forgetting and Euphemizing a Violent History 313 References 318 PART FOUR THE POWER OF FEMINIST METAPHORS WORDS THAT OPEN SPACES FOR WOMEN 320 11 At the Limits of Discourse 321 I 321 II 328 Notes 340 References 343 12 Writing (into) the Symbolic 345 Notes 359 References 362 13 Language and the Space of the Feminine 364 Subjectivity, Language, and the Feminine 365 Psychoanalysis, Feminine Agency, and the Body of the Mother 372 Formalism versus Pragmatism: Textualizing Change, Exploding the Present 382 Conclusions 385 Notes 387 References 388 ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS 390 INDEX 394 A 394 B 394 C 395 D 395 E 395 F 395 G 396 H 396 I 396 J 396 K 397 L 397 M 398 N 398 O 398 P 398 Q 398 R 398 S 399 T 399 V 399 W 399 Y 399 Z 399 Gathers authors with different backgrounds and methods to advance feminist discussions of the relation between language and women's oppression, suggesting promising new directions for further research.Presenting new and important scholarship in feminist language theory, this book addresses issues within diverse traditions, bringing together feminist positions, strategies, and styles in an original way. Gathering together authors with different backgrounds and methods, Language and Liberation puts this diverse scholarship into dialogue.The questions and concerns reflected in these essays are presented within the context of their historical background, provided by the editors'comprehensive Introduction. These questions include: Is there a distinction between “female” and “male” language? What is the relationship of feminine/feminist identity to language? What is the value of metaphor for feminist theory and practice?At the University of Texas at Austin, Christina Hendricks is a doctoral candidate in Philosophy and Kelly Oliver is Associate Professor in Philosophy. Oliver is the author of Family Values: Subjects Between Nature and Culture; Womanizing Nietzsche: Philosophy's Relation to “the Feminine”; and Reading Kristeva: Unraveling the Double-Bind. She is also the editor of The Portable Kristeva and Ethics, Politics and Difference in the Writing of Julia Kristeva. How To Do (feminist) Things With Words / Christina Hendricks And Kelly Oliver -- Derogatory Terms : Racism, Sexism, And The Inferential Role Theory Of Meaning / Lynne Tirrell -- Discourse Competence : Or How To Theorize Strong Women Speakers / Sara Mills -- Surviving To Speak New Language : Mary Daly And Adrienne Rich / Jane Hedley -- From Revolution To Liberation : Transforming Hysterical Discourse Into Analytic Discourse / Georganna Ulary -- Disarticulated Voices : Feminism And Philomela / Elissa Marder -- Confessional Feminisms : Rhetorical Dimensions Of First-person Theorizing / Susan David Bernstein -- Postcolonial Critic : Shifting Subjects, Changing Paradigms / Sangeeta Ray -- Sublime Impersonation : The Rhetoric Of Personification In Kant / Natalie Alexander -- Frege's Metaphors / Andrea Nye -- Free Gift Or Forced Figure? Derrida's Usage Of Hymen In The Double Session / Roberta Weston -- At The Limits Of Discourse : Heterogeneity, Alterity, And The Maternal Body In Kristeva's Thought / Ewa Płonowska Ziarek -- Writing (into) The Symbolic : The Maternal Metaphor In Hélǹe Cixous / Lisa Walsh -- Language And The Space Of The Feminine : Julia Kristeva And Luce Irigaray / Cynthia Baker. Edited By Christina Hendricks And Kelly Oliver. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.