The Symbolic Order of the Mother

Luisa Muraro

ISBN 10: 1438467648 / ISBN 13: 9781438467641

Published by State University of New York Press, 2019

New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # CX-9781438467641

Synopsis:

Argues that affirming the irreducible differences between men and women can lead to more transformative politics than the struggle for abstract equality between the sexes.

In The Symbolic Order of the Mother Luisa Muraro identifies the bond between mother and child as ontologically fundamental to the development of culture and politics, and therefore as key to achieving truly emancipatory political change. Both corporeal development and language acquisition, which are the sources of all thinking, begin in this relationship. However, Western civilization has been defined by men, and Muraro recalls the admiration and envy she felt for the great philosophers as she strove to become one herself, as well as the desire for independence that opposed her to her mother. This conflict between philosophy and culture on the one hand and the relationship with the mother on the other constitutes the root of patriarchy's symbolic disorder, which blocks women's (and men's) access to genuine freedom. Muraro appeals to the feminist practice of gratitude to the mother and the recognition of her authority as a model of unconditional nurture and support that must be restored. This, she argues, is the symbolic order of the mother that must overcome the disorder of patriarchy. The mediating power of the mother tongue constitutes a symbolic order that comes before all others, for both women and men.

About the Author: Alison Stone is Lecturer in Philosophy at the Institute for Environment, Philosophy, and Public Policy at Lancaster University in England.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Symbolic Order of the Mother
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Publication Date: 2019
Binding: PAP
Condition: New