Epistemology of the closet, updated with a new preface by. I have very limited time for maintaining this page, so it is bound to be very incomplete. Even when one is familiar with these writers, it is fascinating to study their works with the perspective of closet. Within her text, the epistemology of the closet, kosofsky sedgwick offers numerous ways to define the closet. The term is derived from the greek episteme knowledge and logos reason, and accordingly the field is sometimes referred to as the theory of knowledge. May 2, 1950 april 12, 2009 was an american academic scholar in the fields of gender studies, queer theory queer studies, and critical theory. This 38page guide for epistemology of the closet by eve kosofsky sedgwick includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 5 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections. Eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the closet a. These citations may not conform precisely to your selected citation style. Eve kosofsky sedgwick since the late 1980s, queer studies and theory have become vital to the intellectual and political life of the united states. Working from classic texts of european and american writersincluding melville, james, nietzsche, proust, and.
Sedgwick s use of queer theory exposes the underlying meanings behind the oppositions and distinctions in modern culture at large. In that same decade, the gay and lesbian rights movement redoubled its efforts and academic explorations of minority sexualities burgeoned. Hence, i will be simplifying it to understand it layman terms. It therefore sets the standards for the validation of all knowledge. The major issues in epistemology can be classified into five topic areas. This 38page guide for epistemology of the closet by eve kosofsky sedgwick includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 5 chapters, as well as. Eve kosofsky sedgwickepistemology of the closet 1990. See, what we do talk about gives other people clues about what skeletons were hiding in our closets. Epistemology of the closet by eve kosofsky sedgwick 1,908 ratings, 4. Eve kosofsky sedgwick author of epistemology of the closet. I read recently that many believe that homophobia is a fear that the homophobe himself may be gay that is probably true, and is by no means a new idea. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the sparknotes the republic study guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. Combining philosophical, legal, literary, and historical approaches towards queerness and human sexuality.
Epistemology of the closet closetedness itself is a performance initiated as such by the speech act of a silencenot a particular silence, but a silence that accrues particularity by fits and starts, in relation to the discourse that surrounds and differentially constitutes it. The larger point, of course, is to theorize gender and sexuality as distinct though intimately entangled axes of analysis. Her work and her example continue to have a significant effect in. Aug 22, 20 then at university i came across a clutch of books, including judith butlers gender trouble and eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the closet, of the key texts of queer theory. Eve kosofsky sedgwick may 2, 1950 april 12, 2009 was a poet, artist, literary critic and teacher. Sedgwick argued that an understanding of virtually any aspect of modern western culture would be incomplete or damaged if it failed to incorporate a critical analysis of modern homoheterosexual.
Download citation the epistemology of the closet in this condensed version of her book, sedgwick reflects about the closet as a regime of regulation of gay. However, the theories, concepts, and arguments used. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Find the quotes you need to support your essay, or refresh your memory of the book by reading these key quotes. The homohetero binary is a trope for knowledge itself. She is perhaps best known as one of the originators of queer theory. And the idea of knowledge at issue here must,in the first instance at least,be construed in its modest sense to include also belief,conjecture, and the like. Eve kosofsky sedgwicks work in between men 1985 and epistemology of the closet 1990 seems to me some of the most enduringly valuable literary criticism of the past few decades. In epistemology of the closet, sedgwick continues to break new ground in her explorations of male homosocial desire.
In it, eve kosofsky sedgwick argues that the standard binary interpretation of human sexuality is too simplistic an. She reminds the reader that homosexual panic, or kempfs disease, was coined in the 1920s by psychologist edward kempf and described hysteria attributable to perverse sexual cravings in oneself or another. For sedgwick, the study of sex is not coextensive with the study of gender, as sex is chromosomal and gender is constructed. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Sedgwicks contribution hovers in the filmy intellectual plane of theory, but it is the kind of theory that transforms, providing shape to the past and possibilities for the future. Epistemology of the closet appears in the early 1990s like a missing link in the evolution of gay and lesbian studies and politics. Epistemology of the closet critical analysis essay. Eve kosofsky sedgwick, epistemology of the closet 1990 eric savoy no mere summary of eve sedgwicks theoretical modeling can convey adequately the witty playfulness of her writerly writing, the warm personality of her critical voice, or the sheer contagious joy that she found in the literary. Sedgwick noted that epistemology of the closet dealt primarily with the. Epistemology of the closet begins with six axioms about sex and sexuality, and they resonate with the notes rubin provides in thinking sex. Nov 24, 2015 epistemology is the philosophical study of knowledge. Epistemology is the study of knowledge and those things closely related to it.
In epistemology of the closet, sedgwick argues that standard binary oppositions limit freedom and understanding, especially in the context of sexuality. The first two axioms of sedgwick are worth discussing at some length. Epistemology of the closet quotes by eve kosofsky sedgwick. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of aristotle and what it means.
Jul 14, 2010 in epistemology of the closet, eve kosofsky sedgwick argues that 20th century thought and knowledge is structuredindeed, fracturedby a chronic, now endemic crisis of homoheterosexual definition which has roots in the end of the 19th century sedgwick 1. Combining philosophical, legal, literary, and historical approaches towards queerness and human sexuality, sedgwicks text is focused on the destruction of the dichotomous divides used to discuss and. Read a brief overview of the work, or chapter by chapter summaries. Dec 04, 2015 eve kosofsky sedgwick, epistemology of the closet 1990 eric savoy no mere summary of eve sedgwicks theoretical modeling can convey adequately the witty playfulness of her writerly writing, the warm personality of her critical voice, or the sheer contagious joy that she found in the literary. An analysis of eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the closet by christien garcia. The mission of epistemology, the theory of knowledge, is to clarify what the conception of knowledge involves, how it is applied, and to explain why it has the features it does. Introduction the concept epistemology has been defined from different perspectives depending on the authors orientation. My goal is to pull together some resources in epistemology. Eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the closet crc. May 05, 2018 i am assuming that you are a psychology student, with the aim of trying to understand the epistemological aspects of research methods. Hardwick supreme court decision, which upheld a georgia sodomy law. Eve kosofsky sedgwick in her preface to this updated edition sedgwick places the book both personally and historically, looking specifically at the horror of the first wave of the aids epidemic and its influence on the.
Plato claimed that knowledge gained through the senses is no more than opinion and that, in order to have real knowledge, we must gain it through philosophical reasoning. She combines an extraordinarily astute philosophical mind with a resilient attachment to the messiness of ordinary life, a sense of how permeated by and yet how resistent to. Eve kosofsky sedgwickepistemology of the closet 1990 along with michel foucault s 1976 history of sexuality volume 1 and judith butler s 1990 gender trouble, sedgwicks 1990 epistemology of the closet is considered one of the key texts of queer theory. Epistemology of the closet summary and analysis like. Sedgwicks use of queer theory exposes the underlying meanings behind the oppositions and. An analysis of eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the. Eve kosofsky sedgwick archive epistemology of the closet. Eve kosofsky sedgwick, american author born may 2, 1950, dayton, ohiodied april 12, 2009, new york, n. But theseandcuniculaaffect each other and go handinhand with an unconscious system of social values which determine what to include in, as well as. Sedgwick s use of queer theory exposes the underlying meanings behind the oppositions and distinctions in modern. Epistemology the history of epistemology britannica. Feb 25, 20 formal epistemology is the study of questions such as. Continue your study of the republic with these useful links.
Now, in epistemology of the closet, sedgwick continues her investigation. Chronologically, this book begins where the former one closed, at the end of. Eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the closet is often approached as one of the most groundbreaking discussions within the study of. In his concluding chapter, bruner shows how the oral, spontaneous autobiographical narratives of ordinary people construct selves that are not isolated nuclei of consciousness locked in the head, but are distributed interpersonally p.
Eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the closet crc press book in this book, sedgwick examines texts from europe and america such as wilde, nietzsche and proust and considers the historical moment when sexual orientation came to be as important a signifier of personhood as gender had been for centuries. Eve kosofsky sedgwick and judith butler showed me the. For those who havent thought about it much, such questions might seem silly. This 38page guide for epistemology of the closet by eve kosofsky sedgwick includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 5 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. In epistemology of the closet, eve kosofsky sedgwick argues that 20th century thought and knowledge is structuredindeed, fracturedby a chronic, now endemic crisis of homoheterosexual definition which has roots in the end of the 19th century sedgwick 1. An analysis of eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the closet 1st edition. What is at stake in male homoheterosexual definition.
In the epistemology of the closet article, sedgwick deconstruct the being inbeing out of the closet. In epistemology of the closet, sedgwick argues that virtually any aspect of modern western culture, must be, not merely incomplete, but damaged in its central substance to the degree that it does not incorporate a critical analysis of modern homoheterosexual definition. Essays and criticism on eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the closet critical. Generally, the epistemology of the closet is the idea that thought itself is structured by homosexualheterosexual definitions, which damages our ability to think. Epistemology of the closet by eve sedgwick 1990 according to eve sedgwick, the closet isnt so secret after all. Both the antiquity of the field and the novelty of the term are clearly documented wolenski 2004. Project muse eve kosofsky sedgwick, epistemology of the. See moss 2015 and hedden 2015a and 2015b for defenses of timeslice epistemology. Eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the closet is often approached as one of the most groundbreaking discussions within the study of queer theory. Sedgwick published several books considered groundbreaking in the field of queer theory, including between men. Epistemology of the closet introductionchapter 3 summary. Epistemology of the closet is nonfiction book by eve kosofsky sedgwick, and is considered one of the most important and influential works in lgbtq studies.
Epistemology of the closet propose tha manst oyf the majo noder osf thought and knowledg ien twentiethcentur westery culturn aes a whole are structure indeedd, fracture bdy a chronic no, w endemi crisic osf homoheterosexual definition indicativel, male datiny, frog m th ene d. Aug 23, 2019 the allegory of the cave is a theory put forward by plato, concerning human perception. From epistemology of the closet, by eve kosofsky sedgwick in attempting to discover a text that would exemplify her argument in epistemology of the closet, eve kosofsky sedgwick settled upon a narrative that despite its brevity proved to be the embodiment of gay male intertexuality and provided a durable and potent. But it was the introduction to sedgwicks epistemology of the closet, titled axiomatic, that i devoured in one sitting. Epistemology of the closet eve kosofsky sedgwick download. Jun 21, 2012 sedgwick notes in the 2008 preface to epistemology of the closet that it was written in light of the 1986 bowers v. Please write an indepth summary of epistemology of the closet by eve. English literature and male homosocial desire 1985, epistemology of the closet. In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content 332philosophy and literature be a narrator p.
Thinking sex gayle rubin and queer theory gradesaver. Epistemology of the closet book by eve kosofsky sedgwick. It looks into the very physiognomy of closet, and assays the work of some great authors such as proust, joyce, lawrence, and wilde. Since the late 1980s, queer studies and theory have become vital to the intellectual and political life of the united states. Updated with a new preface 2nd second,revis edition by sedgwick, eve kosofsky published by university of california press 2008 since the late 1980s, queer studies and theory have become vital to the intellectual and political life of the united states. This has been due, in no small degree, to the influence of eve kosofsky sedgwicks critically acclaimed epistemology of the closet. Hopefully, though, there will be enough material here for the page to be somewhat useful to those interested in epistemology. Combining philosophical, legal, literary, and historical approaches towards queerness and human sexuality, sedgwicks text is focused on the destruction of the dichotomous divides used to discuss and categorize expressions and epistemologies. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Epistemology of the closet, updated with a new preface. See podgorski 2016 for a defense of process epistemology. Jun 16, 20 eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the closet is often approached as one of the most groundbreaking discussions within the study of queer theory.
The central focus of ancient greek philosophy was the problem of motion. Epistemology of the closet by eve kosofsky sedgwick. Jun 25, 2010 epistemology is concerned with the basic relationship between mans mind and reality, and with the basic operations of human reason. Epistemology notes stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Epistemology of the closet is considered a foundational work of queer theory. Then at university i came across a clutch of books, including judith butlers gender trouble and eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the closet. The books contains several queer readings of literature, but it is the introduction and the title essay which are most famous. Also includes sites with a short overview, synopsis, book report, or summary of eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the closet. Please write an indepth summary of epistemology of the closet. Eve kosofsky sedgwick s epistemology of the closet is often approached as one of the most groundbreaking discussions within the study of queer theory. Eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the closet a staple of. Many presocratic philosophers thought that no logically coherent account of motion and change could be given. Her works reflect an interest in queer performativity, experimental critical writing, nonlacanian psychoanalysis, buddhism and pedagogy, the affective theories of silvan tomkins and. This has been due, in no small degree, to the influence of eve kosofsky.
How can we arrive at assertions about the world that we can rely on. Curriculum and epistemology caleb gattegno it may not be clear a priori that every curriculum proposal stands on an explicit or, more generally, an implicit episte mology. Eve kosofsky sedgwick was an american academician specializing in literary criticism and feminist analysis. Sites like sparknotes with a epistemology of the closet study guide or cliff notes. To read and reread sedgwicks epistemology of the closet is a rewarding experience. Epistemology epistemology the history of epistemology. Queer theory in relation to epistemology of the closet. Epistemology, the philosophical study of the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge.
Working from classic texts of european and american writers including melville, james, nietzsche, proust, and wilde. Epistemology of the closet appears in the early 1990s like a miss ing link in the evolution of gay and lesbian studies and politics. The beast in the closet i83 expect to be an objec otf lega violencel th lega,e enforcemenl ha a td disproportionately wid effecte a. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Epistemology has a long history within western philosophy, beginning with the ancient. Although the problem was primarily a concern of metaphysics, not epistemology, it had the consequence that all major greek philosophers held that. Epistemology of the closet is a book published in 1990 by eve kosofsky sedgwick, who is considered one of the founders of queer studies.
Epistemology of the closet critical analysis analysis essays, free essays eve kosofsky sedgwicks epistemology of the closet is an argument about the socially imposed binary oppositions that limits the peoples freedom and understanding, especially when it comes to human sexuality. The language usage and labeling itself is a major theme and common occurrence in epistemology of the closet. Any analysis or understanding of any aspect of western culture is incomplete and degraded if it. This text will shatter the framework through which you think about life.
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