Takes a unique approach to the study of the material and discursive
practices associated with the construction and regulation of the female body.
This book describes the construction of the 'monstrous feminine' in mythology,
art, literature and film, revealing its implications for the regulation and
experience of the fecund female body."Managing the Monstrous Feminine" takes a unique approach to the study of
the material and discursive practices associated with the construction and
regulation of the female body. Jane Ussher examines the ways in which medicine,
science, the law and popular culture combine to produce fictions about
femininity, positioning the reproductive body as the source of women's power,
danger and weakness. Including sections on 'Regulation', 'The subjectification
of women' and 'Women's negotiation and resistance', this book describes the
construction of the 'monstrous feminine' in mythology, art, literature and
film, revealing its implications for the regulation and experience of the
fecund female body. Critical reviews are combined with case studies and
extensive interview material to illuminate discussions of subjects including:
the regulation of women through the body, regimes of knowledge associated with
reproduction, inter-subjectivity and the body, and women's narratives of
resistance.; These insights into the relation between the construction of the female
body and women's subjectivity will be of interest to those studying health
psychology, social psychology, medical sociology, gender studies and cultural
studies. The book will also appeal to all those looking for a high-level
introduction to contemporary feminist thought on the female body.
