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History Philosophy Psychiatry

Speculum of the Other Woman

Speculum of the Other Woman Luce Irigaray Éditions de Minuit 1974 Speculum of the Other Woman by Luce Irigaray is incontestably one of the most important works in feminist theory to have been published in this generation. For the profession of psychoanalysis, Irigaray believes, female sexuality has remained a “dark continent,” unfathomable and unapproachable; its nature…

Categories
History Psychiatry

The Female Malady: Women, Madness, and English Culture, 1830-1980

The Female Malady: Women, Madness, Culture, 1830-1980 Elaine Showalter Penguin 1985 In this informative, timely and often harrowing study, Elaine Showalter demonstrates how cultural ideas about ‘proper’ feminine behaviour have shaped the definition and treatment of female insanity for 150 years, and given mental disorder in women specifically sexual connotations. Along with vivid portraits of…