On Female Body Experience: "Throwing Like a Girl" and Other Essays (Studies in Feminist Philosophy)

Written over a span of more than two decades, the essays by Iris Marion Young collected in this volume describe diverse aspects of women's lived body experience in modern Western societies. Drawing on the ideas of several twentieth century continental philosophers--including Simone de Beauvoir, Martin Heidegger, Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty--Young constructs rigorous analytic categories for interpreting embodied subjectivity. The essays combine theoretical description of experience with normative evaluation of the unjust constraints on their freedom and opportunity that continue to burden many women. The lead essay rethinks the purpose of the category of "gender" for feminist theory, after important debates have questioned its usefulness. Other essays include reflection on the meaning of being at home and the need for privacy in old age residences as well as essays that analyze aspects of the experience of women and girls that have received little attention even in feminist theory--such as the sexuality of breasts, or menstruation as punctuation in a woman's life story. Young describes the phenomenology of moving in a pregnant body and the tactile pleasures of clothing. While academically rigorous, the essays are also written with engaging style, incorporating vivid imagery and autobiographical narrative. On Female Body Experience raises issues and takes positions that speak to scholars and students in philosophy, sociology, geography, medicine, nursing, and education. Written over a span of more than two decades by Iris Marion Young, the essays collected in this volume describe diverse aspects of women's lived body experience in modern Western societies. Drawing on the ideas of several twentieth-century continental philosophers-including Simone de Beauvoir, Martin Heidegger, Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty-Young constructs rigorous analytic categories for interpreting embodied subjectivity. The essays combine theoretical description of experience with normative evaluation of the unjust constraints on freedom and opportunity that continue to burden many women.The lead essay rethinks the purpose of the category of gender for feminist theory, after important debates have questioned its usefulness. Other essays include reflection on the meaning of being at home and the need for privacy in old age residences, as well as aspects of the experience of women and girls that have received little attention even in feminist theory, such as the sexuality of breasts, or menstruation as punctuation in a woman's life story. Young describes the phenomenology of moving in a pregnant body and the tactile pleasures of clothing.While academically rigorous, the essays are also written with engaging style, incorporating vivid imagery and autobiographical narrative. On Female Body Experience raises issues and takes positions that speak to scholars and students in philosophy, sociology, geography, medicine, nursing, and education. Written over a span of more than two decades, the essays by Iris Marion Young collected in this volume describe diverse aspects of women's lived body experience in modern Western societies. Drawing on the ideas of several twentieth century continental philosophers -- including Simone de Beauvoir, Martin Heidegger, Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty -- Young constructs rigorous analytic categories for interpreting embodied subjectivity. The essays combine theoretical description of experience with normative evaluation of the unjust constraints on their freedom and opportunity that continue to burden many women. The lead essay rethinks the purpose of the category of "gender" for feminist theory, after important debates have questioned its usefulness. Other essays include reflection on the meaning of being at home and the need for privacy in old age residences as well as essays that analyze aspects of the experience of women and girls that have received little attention even in feminist theory -- such as the sexuality of breasts, or menstruation as punctuation in a woman's life story. -- From publisher's description ## Abstract These essays describe diverse aspects of women’s lived body experience in modern Western societies. They combine theoretical description of experience with normative evaluation of the unjust constraints on freedom and opportunity that continue to burden many women. The lead essay rethinks the purpose of the category of “gender” for feminist theory, after important debates have questioned its usefulness. Other essays include reflection on the meaning of being at home and the need for privacy in old age residencies. Aspects of the experience of women and girls that have received little attention even in feminist theory are analyzed, such as the sexuality of breasts, or menstruation as punctuation in a woman’s life story. The phenomenology of moving in a pregnant body and the tactile pleasures of clothing are also considered. Contents......Page 10 Introduction......Page 14 1. Lived Body vs. Gender: Reflections on Social Structure and Subjectivity......Page 23 2. Throwing Like a Girl: A Phenomenology of Feminine Body Comportment, Motility, and Spatiality......Page 38 3. Pregnant Embodiment: Subjectivity and Alienation......Page 57 4. Women Recovering Our Clothes......Page 74 5. Breasted Experience: The Look and the Feeling......Page 86 6. Menstrual Meditations......Page 108 7. House and Home: Feminist Variations on a Theme......Page 134 8. A Room of One’s Own: Old Age, Extended Care, and Privacy......Page 166 B......Page 182 F......Page 183 H......Page 184 M......Page 185 R......Page 186 W......Page 187 1. Lived Body Vs. Gender : Reflections On Social Structure And Subjectivity -- 2. Throwing Like A Girl : A Phenomenology Of Feminine Body Comportment, Motility, And Spatiality -- 3. Pregnant Embodiment : Subjectivity And Alienation -- 4. Women Recovering Our Clothes -- 5. Breasted Experience : The Look And The Feeling -- 6. Menstrual Meditations -- 7. House And Home : Feminist Variations On A Theme -- 8. A Room Of One’s Own : Old Age, Extended Care, And Privacy. Iris Marion Young. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Written over two decades, these essays describe diverse aspects of women's lived body experience in modern Western societies. Young combines theoretical description of experience with normative evaluation of the unjust constraints on their freedom & opportunity that continue to burden many women