Women, Negroes, and Other Monsters: An Essay on Non-Civilized Bodies

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Ferreira, Jonatas
Data de Publicação: 2010
Outros Autores: Hamlin, Cynthia
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: por
Título da fonte: Revista Estudos Feministas
Texto Completo: https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/ref/article/view/S0104-026X2010000300010
Resumo: The Western dynamics of civilization implies a tense relationship between body and mind, culture and nature, civilization and barbarism. In the following essay we explore the construction of the last one of such dualism by investigating the spaces where certain bodies are defined as monstrous. We are particularly concerned with the constitution of a scientific vision of racial differences, its specificity in relation to the medieval perception of the place of alterity, its role in legitimizing the circulation of ‘monstrous’ bodies as commodities and its claim to disclose an objective hierarchy of races and gender. From Lavater to Curvier, the classification of species offers a hierarchical model that will be appropriated by race and gender discourses in biology. Within this context, there is one case of paradigmatic quality, ‘The Hottentot Venus’. We argue that the political negotiation of Sara Baartman’s ontological status, during the 19th and 20th centuries, represents just such effort to establish the borders of civility through the circulation and exclusion of uncivilized bodies.
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spelling Women, Negroes, and Other Monsters: An Essay on Non-Civilized BodiesMulheres, negros e outros monstros: um ensaio sobre corpos não civilizadosThe Western dynamics of civilization implies a tense relationship between body and mind, culture and nature, civilization and barbarism. In the following essay we explore the construction of the last one of such dualism by investigating the spaces where certain bodies are defined as monstrous. We are particularly concerned with the constitution of a scientific vision of racial differences, its specificity in relation to the medieval perception of the place of alterity, its role in legitimizing the circulation of ‘monstrous’ bodies as commodities and its claim to disclose an objective hierarchy of races and gender. From Lavater to Curvier, the classification of species offers a hierarchical model that will be appropriated by race and gender discourses in biology. Within this context, there is one case of paradigmatic quality, ‘The Hottentot Venus’. We argue that the political negotiation of Sara Baartman’s ontological status, during the 19th and 20th centuries, represents just such effort to establish the borders of civility through the circulation and exclusion of uncivilized bodies.A dinâmica ocidental de civilização implica uma relação tensa entre corpo e mente, cultura e natureza, civilização e barbarismo. No ensaio que se segue, exploramos a construção deste último dualismo ao investigarmos os espaços nos quais certos corpos são definidos como monstruosos. Em particular, estamos interessados na constituição de uma visão científica de diferenças raciais, sua especificidade em relação à percepção medieval do lugar da alteridade, seu papel em legitimar a circulação de corpos ‘monstruosos’ como mercadorias e sua reivindicação de desvendar uma hierarquia objetiva de raças e gênero. De Lavater a Curvier, a classificação das espécies oferece um modelo hierárquico que será apropriado pelos discursos de raça e gênero na biologia. Nesse contexto, um caso pode ser considerado paradigmático: a ‘Vênus Hotentote’. Argumentamos que a negociação política do status ontológico de Sara Baartman, durante os séculos XIX e XX, representa precisamente tal esforço para estabelecer as fronteiras de civilidade mediante a circulação e a exclusão de corpos incivilizados.Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina2010-09-24info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttps://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/ref/article/view/S0104-026X201000030001010.1590/S0104-026X2010000300010Revista Estudos Feministas; Vol. 18 No. 3 (2010); 811Revista Estudos Feministas; Vol. 18 Núm. 3 (2010); 811Revista Estudos Feministas; v. 18 n. 3 (2010); 8111806-95840104-026Xreponame:Revista Estudos Feministasinstname:Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC)instacron:UFSCporhttps://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/ref/article/view/S0104-026X2010000300010/17697Copyright (c) 2018 Revista Estudos Feministasinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessFerreira, JonatasHamlin, Cynthia2018-08-14T16:53:10Zoai:periodicos.ufsc.br:article/19279Revistahttps://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/ref/indexPUBhttps://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/ref/oai||ref@cfh.ufsc.br1806-95840104-026Xopendoar:2022-11-21T11:38:06.094860Revista Estudos Feministas - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC)true
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Women, Negroes, and Other Monsters: An Essay on Non-Civilized Bodies
Mulheres, negros e outros monstros: um ensaio sobre corpos não civilizados
title Women, Negroes, and Other Monsters: An Essay on Non-Civilized Bodies
spellingShingle Women, Negroes, and Other Monsters: An Essay on Non-Civilized Bodies
Ferreira, Jonatas
title_short Women, Negroes, and Other Monsters: An Essay on Non-Civilized Bodies
title_full Women, Negroes, and Other Monsters: An Essay on Non-Civilized Bodies
title_fullStr Women, Negroes, and Other Monsters: An Essay on Non-Civilized Bodies
title_full_unstemmed Women, Negroes, and Other Monsters: An Essay on Non-Civilized Bodies
title_sort Women, Negroes, and Other Monsters: An Essay on Non-Civilized Bodies
author Ferreira, Jonatas
author_facet Ferreira, Jonatas
Hamlin, Cynthia
author_role author
author2 Hamlin, Cynthia
author2_role author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Ferreira, Jonatas
Hamlin, Cynthia
description The Western dynamics of civilization implies a tense relationship between body and mind, culture and nature, civilization and barbarism. In the following essay we explore the construction of the last one of such dualism by investigating the spaces where certain bodies are defined as monstrous. We are particularly concerned with the constitution of a scientific vision of racial differences, its specificity in relation to the medieval perception of the place of alterity, its role in legitimizing the circulation of ‘monstrous’ bodies as commodities and its claim to disclose an objective hierarchy of races and gender. From Lavater to Curvier, the classification of species offers a hierarchical model that will be appropriated by race and gender discourses in biology. Within this context, there is one case of paradigmatic quality, ‘The Hottentot Venus’. We argue that the political negotiation of Sara Baartman’s ontological status, during the 19th and 20th centuries, represents just such effort to establish the borders of civility through the circulation and exclusion of uncivilized bodies.
publishDate 2010
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2010-09-24
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dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/ref/article/view/S0104-026X2010000300010/17697
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info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv Copyright (c) 2018 Revista Estudos Feministas
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dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Revista Estudos Feministas; Vol. 18 No. 3 (2010); 811
Revista Estudos Feministas; Vol. 18 Núm. 3 (2010); 811
Revista Estudos Feministas; v. 18 n. 3 (2010); 811
1806-9584
0104-026X
reponame:Revista Estudos Feministas
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reponame_str Revista Estudos Feministas
collection Revista Estudos Feministas
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