Pushing the boundaries of bodily and sexual norms
Type de matériel :
35
Based on an investigation of feminist self-help mobilizations that challenge the medical control over women’s bodies and sexuality, this article examines the way in which the activist sphere can constitute an instance of secondary socialization to sexuality. Self-help activism uses the body as a means of socializing participants to feminism, to the principle of free choice as to the use of their bodies, and to emancipated sexuality. This article proposes to understand the effects of this commitment on the individual relationship that activists have with the body, health, sexuality, and their medical supervision. While they challenge the boundaries of sexual, bodily, and health norms that frame women’s experiences, self-help activists have an ambiguous relationship to their claim to control over their own bodies, and they sometimes maintain the boundary between laywomen and health professionals.
Réseaux sociaux