ABSTRACT

'Political Bodies/Body Politic' draws on feminism, gender studies, and queer theory to examine how myth, symbol and ritual express belief systems. The book explores the operation of gender in a variety of social and historical contexts, ranging from feminist speculative fiction and systems of belief to popular culture and ancient historical texts. 'Political Bodies/Body Politic' makes an original contribution to religious and feminist studies in its examination of gender in human communication and belief systems.

chapter |17 pages

Introduction

Topographical Excursions on Theoretical Paths

chapter |23 pages

A Semiotics of Gender

Prolegomena

chapter |30 pages

Feminist Encounters with Myth

Engaging Angela Carter

chapter |22 pages

The Agon of Men

Masculinity and Warfare

chapter |39 pages

Signifying Demons

Gender and the Ritualised Performance of Possession and Exorcism

chapter |30 pages

Spectacles of Gender

Performing Masculinities in Ancient Rome and Modern Cinema

chapter |28 pages

Sign-symbol and Icon

Deconstructing the Eliadean Paradigm

chapter |9 pages

Conclusion

Gender Ideology, Systems of Belief and Practice, and Epistemology