I was reading some work on Helene Cixous (Hélène Cixous: Writing and Sexual Difference, by Abigail Bray) in preparation for my term paper, and came across something quite interesting. "Anatomy is destiny" is what Freud said in reference to women's sexual difference. It strikes me as a rather dangerous statement to make in contemporary times! *tsk tsk Mr Freud* Such a belief assumes and presumes that the differences (in personality, for eg.) between men and women are based simply on natural, anatomical differences.
Bray went on to cite the Nazi classification of people as an example of this belief in action.
"The subtle and perhaps imaginary anatomical differences between the Aryan and non-Aryan body... was based on a racist ideology which confused anatomical differences with moral differences: Aryan culture was morally superior because Aryan anatomy was biologically superior. "
Indeed! I could not agree with her more. And because of that a whole race was tortured and threatened, a whole world was brought into war.
Moira Gatens sums it all up beautifully:
"It is not anatomy which decides cultural value or status but rather the way in which that anatomy is represented and lived."
posted by sarah @ 11:09 PM
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