| Susanna Paasonen on 1 Sep 2001 12:07:14 -0000 |
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| Re: [oldboys] Re: maria fernandez/suhail malik on cyberfeminism |
Dear all,
Just a few notes on the debate on criticism & cyberfeminism --
As someone working on writing and reading, I've found past OBN postings on
what to criticise and how somehow, well, confusing. As I understand it,
feminist theory is centrally self-reflexive, meaning that writers situate
themselves in relation to other authors, past or present (Braidotti's
feminist footnoting) and engage in different kinds of critical dialogues
with them. Criticism is not about dissing people's work or not seeing what
they are arguing or where from... since debate without any attempt to
listen/read/grasp the other's arguments does not really qualify as critical
practice.
I really do not understand why for example Plant's or Haraway's work should
not be revisited critically. I think the opposite, as both authors have in
different ways been highly influential for cyberfem practices, textual or
other, and remain to be so. Without critical encounters we would be left
with either silence or celebration, neither of which seems too great an
option. Without criticism the limits of thinking and blind spots of
argumentation remain untouched and unquestioned, and without linking one's
argumentation to the work of others there is no productive dialogue.
Criticism is central and productive in marking differences and
continuities. As attractive as the idea of each formulating their own
version of cyberfeminism is, it is of little use unless these individual
formulations engage in debate with each other, provocations included, and
come to terms with criticism.
Now this is kind of obvious but I'm typing it anyway -- there really is no
need to agree on the merits of individual authors' work, or what
cyberfeminism possibly stands for, for finding some common ground to speak
on. This kind of forced concensus would be ever so dull!
But, again, I don't think there's danger of this happening. If OBN is a
community, I do hope it's a critical one.
my best,
Susanna
----------------------------------------
Susanna Paasonen
tutkija / researcher
Mediatutkimus / Media studies
FIN-20014 University of Turku, Finland
email: [email protected]
tel. +358-50 523 1350 (gsm/mobile)
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