Against abjection.

Tyler, Imogen (2009) Against abjection. Feminist Theory, 10 (1). pp. 77-98. ISSN 1741-2773

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Abstract

This article is about the theoretical life of `the abject'. It focuses on the ways in which Anglo-American and Australian feminist theoretical accounts of maternal bodies and identities have utilized Julia Kristeva's theory of abjection. Whilst the abject has proved a compelling and productive concept for feminist theory, this article cautions against the repetition of the maternal (as) abject within theoretical writing. It argues that employing a Kristevan abject paradigm risks reproducing, rather than challenging, histories of violent disgust towards maternal bodies. In place of the Kristevan model of the abject, it argues for a more thoroughly social and political account of abjection. This entails a critical shift from the current feminist theoretical preoccupation with the `transgressive potentiality' of `encounters with the abject' to a consideration of consequences of being abject within specific social and political locations.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Feminist Theory
Additional Information:
The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Feminist Theory, 10 (1), 2009, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2009 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Feminist Theory page: http://fty.sagepub.com/ on SAGE Journals Online: http://online.sagepub.com/
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3318
Subjects:
?? abject • disgust • kristeva • maternal • motherhood • violencegender studieshm sociology ??
ID Code:
27150
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
01 Oct 2009 10:55
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
12 Feb 2024 00:23