Epistemophilia

Rethinking Feminist Pedagogy

Bibliographic Data

ID5854857
AuthorsPeta Cox
Year2010
Volume25
Issue63
Pages79-92
Publication date2010-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAustralian Feminist Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1321-7568 • E-ISSN: 1465-3303
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/08164640903499745
OpenAlexW2066796773
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited28

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Acknowledgements Thanks are due to Elizabeth Wilson for her exquisite supervision of the honours thesis that is the basis for this article. Thanks are also due to Natalya Lusty, Katrina Schlunke and Lucy Tatman for their assistance in moving the thesis into an article format. Notes 1. The 24 texts consulted to form this definition were: Bartlett (1998 Bartlett, A. 1998. A passionate subject: Representations of desire in feminist pedagogy. Gender and Education, 10(1): 85–92. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]), Briton (1997 Briton, D. 1997. “Learning the subject of desire”. In Learning desire: Perspectives on pedagogy, culture and the unsaid, Edited by: Todd, S. London and New York: Routledge. [Google Scholar]), Burt and Wallen (1999 Burt, R. and Wallen, J. 1999. Knowing better: Sex, cultural criticism and the pedagogical imperative in the 1990s. Diacritics, 29(1): 72–91. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), Eagleton (1998 Eagleton, M. 1998. Reading between bodies and institutions. Gender and Education, 10(3): 343–49. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]), Finke (1997 Finke, L. 1997. “Knowledge as bait: Feminism, voice and the pedagogical unconscious”. In Learning desire: Perspectives on pedagogy, culture and the unsaid, Edited by: Todd, S. London and New York: Routledge. [Google Scholar]), Gallop (1992 Gallop J 1992 Knot a love story Yale Journal of Criticism 5 3 209 18 [Google Scholar], 1994a, 1997), Garner (1995 Garner, H. 1995. The first stone: Some questions about sex and power, Bloomington: Indiana University Press. [Google Scholar]), Gatens (1994 Gatens, M. 1994. “Responding to Gallop: Feminist pedagogy and the ‘family romance’”. In Jane Gallop seminar papers: Proceedings of the Jane Gallop seminar and public lecture ‘The Teacher's Breasts held in 1993 by the Humanities Research Centre, Edited by: Matthews, J. Canberra: Humanities Research Centre. [Google Scholar]), Grant (2005 Grant, B. 2005. Fighting for space in supervision: Fantasies, fairytales, fictions and fallacies. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 18(3): 337–54. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]), Harper (1997 Harper, H. 1997. “Disturbing identity and desire: Adolescent girls and wild words”. In Learning desire: Perspectives on pedagogy, culture and the unsaid, Edited by: Todd, S. London and New York: Routledge. [Google Scholar]), hooks (1993 Hooks, B. 1993. Eros, eroticism and the pedagogical process. Cultural Studies, 7(1): 58–63. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 1994), Johnson (1995 Johnson C. 1995 Disinfecting dialogues In Pedagogy: The question of impersonation J Gallop Bloomington Indiana University Press [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), Kirby (1994 Kirby, V. 1994. “Response to Jane Gallop's ‘The teacher's breasts’: Bad form”. In Jane Gallop seminar papers: Proceedings of the Jane Gallop seminar and public lecture ‘The Teacher's Breasts held in 1993 by the Humanities Research Centre, Edited by: Matthews, J. Canberra: Humanities Research Centre. [Google Scholar]), Mackwood (1997 Mackwood, G. 1997. “Desire and encryption: A theory of readability”. In Learning desire: Perspectives on pedagogy, culture and the unsaid, Edited by: Todd, S. London and New York: Routledge. [Google Scholar]), Martusewicz (1997 Martusewicz, R. 1997. “Say me to me: Desire and education”. In Learning desire: Perspectives on pedagogy, culture and the unsaid, Edited by: Todd, S. London and New York: Routledge. [Google Scholar]), Otte (1995 Otte G. 1995 In-voicing: Beyond the voice debate In Pedagogy: The question of impersonation J. Gallop Bloomington Indiana University Press [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), Pellegrini (1999 Pellegrini, A. 1999. Pedagogy's turn: Observations on students, teachers and transference-love. Critical Inquiry, 25(3): 617–25. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), Pryer (2001 Pryer, A. 2001. What spring does with the cherry trees’: The eros of teaching and learning. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 7(1): 75–88. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]), Robertson (1997 Robertson, J. 1997. “Fantasy's confines: Popular culture and the education of the female primary-school teacher”. In Learning desire: Perspectives on pedagogy, culture and the unsaid, Edited by: Todd, S. London and New York: Routledge. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), Scheman (1995 Scheman, N. 1995. “On waking up one morning and discovering we are them”. In Pedagogy: The question of impersonation, Edited by: Gallop, J. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), and Simon (1995 Simon, R. 1995. “Face to face with alterity: Postmodern Jewish identity and the eros of pedagogy”. In Pedagogy: The question of impersonation, Edited by: Gallop, J. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). 2. Epistemophilia is the English translation of the German ‘Wisstrieb’ (Brooks 1993 Brooks, P. 1993. “What is a monster?”. In Body work: Objects of desire in modern narrative, Cambridge, MA and London: Harvard University Press. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 9). 3. Although I believe this to be a fair summary of Freud's understanding of epistemophilia, it should be noted that, for the sake of brevity, many key nuances have been omitted. Primarily these relate to the relationship of epistemophilia to other drives, namely the drive for mastery, scopophilia and the libido. In addition, I have omitted any explanation of the use of repression in moving from the childhood sexual researches to adult epistemophilia. 4. In adulthood, there are three expressions of epistemophilia. Epistemophilic inhibition reduces anxiety by mediating the threat of sexuality by closing down all intellectual endeavours, while sexualised thought tends to intensify fear by linking thinking to the libido and thus encouraging obsessional brooding (Freud 1953b Freud S 1953b Leonardo Da Vinci and a memory of his childhood In The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud London Hogath Press [Google Scholar], 1953c). Epistemophilic sublimation occurs when the libido is sublimated into learning and can result in the destruction of objects in order to know them (Freud 1953b Freud S 1953b Leonardo Da Vinci and a memory of his childhood In The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud London Hogath Press [Google Scholar]). Epistemophilic sublimation is the only expression of epistemophilia that does not involve intellectual anxiety. Each expression of epistemophilia (with the exception of sublimation) is thus an attempt to control the world and to have sufficient mastery for living—with all its necessary ‘unknowables’—to be endurable. 5. Although the majority of feminist accounts conflate epistemophilia with violence, Toril Moi does not. Her account argues that epistemophilia, when it is understood as ‘tak[ing] the human body as [its] point of departure’ (1999, 300), is a productive critique of mind/body dualism which can be highly productive for feminists. See Moi (1999 Moi, T. 1999. “Patriarchal thought and the drive for knowledge”. In What is woman? And other essays, Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]). 6. This model of facilitation is based on the peer-based facilitation used in sexual health promotion. See, for instance, Flood (2004 Flood M 2004 Changing men: Best practice in violence work with men Paper presented at the Home Truths: Stop Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence: A National Challenge conference held in Melbourne, Australia, 15–17 September, Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne [Google Scholar]), Irvine (1995 Irvine, J. 1995. Sexuality education across cultures: Working with Differences, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. [Google Scholar]), Kiss and Tell Collective (1994 Kiss and Tell Collective 1994 Her tongue on my theory: Images, essays and fantasies Vancouver Press Gang [Google Scholar]), Omang (2005 Omang J. 2005 Countdown 2015: Sexual and reproductive health and rights for all London Population Action International Washington, DC: International Planned Parenthood Federation; New York: Family Care International [Google Scholar]), and the Sexual Health and Family Planning Act (2003 Sexual Health and Family Planning Act 2003 2003 Sexual Health and Family Planning Act youth summit Canberra SHFPACT [Google Scholar]). 7. Although not discussed in this article, Gallop has written on Keyssar's pedagogy. Specifically, in her text ‘The Teacher's Breasts’ (1994a)—which is a close reading of Keyssar's interpretation of the stage instruction to ‘touch the teacher's breasts’—Gallop argues that Keyssar promotes a maternal and nurturing pedagogy. For Gallop, the maternal is enacted by Keyssar in her slip from reading the stage instruction to ‘touch her breasts’ (a sexual act) to an interpretation of the touch as ‘fleeting’ and of one breast only (the child's reverence for the maternal nurturing breast). Gallop argues that Keyssar is attempting to replicate her pedagogical ideals within the representations of pedagogy in the class play. Gallop reads Keyssar's disproportionate distress at her male student's refusal of a non-erotic interpretation of the stage instructions as indicative of the gendered power relations in the class. 8. Gallop is particularly concerned with amorous relations policies (policies that ban not just sex between student and lecturer but also intense non-sexual personal relationships). Such policies are not found in Australia (with the exception of the University of Melbourne 2002 University of Melbourne 2002 Personnel policy and procedures manual 21. Equal opportunity 21.5. Staff–student relationships Melbourne University of Melbourne Available from http://www.unimelb.edu.au/ppp/docs/21.html#21.5 [Google Scholar]); however, they are quite common in the United States. For US policies, see for example: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Graduate School (2006 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Graduate School 2006 Administrative policies: Sexual harassment Wisconsin-Milwaukee UWM [Google Scholar]), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Office of Student Life (2005 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Office of Student Life 2005 Standards of conduct and university procedures concerning sex offences prohibited acts Wisconsin Milwaukee UWM [Google Scholar]), Buffalo State College (1997 Buffalo State College 1997 Policy on consensual sexual and amorous relations Buffalo, NY Buffalo State College Available from http://www.buffalostate.edu/equity/documents/ConsensualRelations.doc [Google Scholar]), and President and Fellows of Harvard College (2006 President and Fellows of Harvard College 2006 Sexual harassment and unprofessional conduct: Guidelines in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Cambridge, MA Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences [Google Scholar

Art · Art history · Criticism · Feminism · Library science · Literature · Media studies · Psychoanalysis · Social science · Sociology · Subject (documents · Unconscious mind · Unsaid · Critical and Liberation Pedagogy · Philosophy, Ethics, and Existentialism · Psychology · University Challenges and Reforms · Gender Studies

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