I think my body knew what it was before I did

Affirming women's embodied experiences as a conduit to knowing

Bibliographic Data

ID2394219
AuthorsLior Beserman Navon (0000-0003-3016-5140, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume28
Issue4
Pages1671-1685
Publication date2025-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSexualities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-4607 • E-ISSN: 1461-7382
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/13634607241285748
OpenAlexW4403004620
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited18

This paper focuses on ignorance within the phenomenon of women who experience female ejaculation. Based on ethnographic research, I show how the experience of the phenomenon in the absence of propositional knowledge about it results in what I term 'experiential ignorance.' This type of ignorance is caused by the cultural positioning of propositional knowledge as the most valid and reliable form of knowledge about the body. Experiential ignorance can be manifested in many different ways, such as an inability to categorize and validate subjective bodily experiences, resulting in feelings of doubt, shame, and can even lead to somatic effects. Nevertheless, some women challenge this knowledge hierarchy by valuing their bodily sensations as legitimate sources of information. The paper concludes that reconceptualizing ignorance to include experiential dimensions reveals the power dynamics inherent in knowledge production and provides opportunities for women to reclaim authority over their bodies and pleasurable experiences. This framework has broader implications for understanding embodied knowledge and ignorance across diverse sociocultural contexts

Aesthetics · Art · Electrical conduit · Embodied cognition · Epistemology · Sociology · Computer Science · Diversity and Impact of Dance · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Philosophy · Psychology · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics

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