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International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Book | Chapter

194647

Bodies in space

transcendence and the spatialization of gender

Roxana Baiasu

pp. 217-233

Abstract

This chapter revisits and rearticulates a fundamental issue in the feminist philosophy of religion, namely, the relationship between gendered embodiment and spirituality. Starting from an existentialist phenomenological understanding of transcendence, which is indebted to, but also departs from, the early Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty, the issue is rethought in terms of spatiality. The argument is thus directed against idealized conceptions of gender, spirituality and the relationship between them; however, the intersubjectivity and objectivity of theoretical aspects of discourse—whether in the philosophy of religion or in other disciplines—does hinge on the possibility of stepping over particularities of gendered embodiment. In feminist philosophy, such epistemological values, as well as practical ideals, like equality and political solidarity, rely on some account of neutrality. This gives rise to tensions and a certain dilemma, and I suggest that the inquiry into the spatiality of human existence can offer new ways of dealing with such problems.

Publication details

Published in:

Anderson Pamela Sue (2010) New topics in feminist philosophy of religion: contestations and transcendence incarnate. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 217-233

DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4020-6833-1_14

Full citation:

Baiasu Roxana (2010) „Bodies in space: transcendence and the spatialization of gender“, In: Anderson (ed.), New topics in feminist philosophy of religion, Dordrecht, Springer, 217–233.