Masculinity, femininity, and self-abstraction
 

Warner 166: "The difference between self-abstraction and a body's positivity is more than a difference in what has officially been made available to men and to women, for example. It is a difference in the cultural/symbolic definitions of masculinity and femininity. Self-abstraction from male bodies confirms masculinity. Self-abstraction from female bodies denies femininity. The bourgeois public sphere is a frame of reference in which it is supposed that all particularities have the same status as mere particularity. But the ability to establish that frame of reference is a feature of some particularities." [emphasis added]

> from Michael Warner's Publics and Counterpublics (2005)

> tagged with #identity, #femininity, #masculinity, #women, #men, #personhood

> created August 24, 2026 at 10:06:51 AM


> part of unfinished everything


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unfinished everything is an original work / ongoing project (1997-present) by jeremy p. bushnell

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