power, difference, and relationships
In class today, Chris discussed how he saw Genesis as not about power, but about relationships (or at least chapter 2 of Genesis, anyway).
At first, I kind of like that, and Alter's translation helps to support that, by translating adam as human instead of man. However, I think the power differential between human and woman so far is important in this story, and that it can't be escaped. Indeed, all relationships are constructed by power differentials (this is my view, and I'm open to hear others' views; but I can't think of one relationship not influenced by a power differential).
This power differential between human and woman is seen in two ways, I think. One is that if human is genderless, as Alter's translation proposes, then for woman to be something new from human would make her something different, and thus we have a dichotomy still: woman and non-woman human. And (secondly) non-woman human in this chapter has power over woman because "he" names her Woman (just like he names the animals). Non-woman human (who might as well be man) has power of language, and woman does not have this power. In class Chris asked us "What is Language?" I wrote briefly, "It creates, transforms, masks, divides, and deflects reality." I see non-woman human in this chapter as having a lot of power over the world, yet the woman has none or little (although she does have power in that she is created as a sustainer, someone without whom human could not survive).
I've got to dash off, so I'll leave this post at that. What do others think?
At first, I kind of like that, and Alter's translation helps to support that, by translating adam as human instead of man. However, I think the power differential between human and woman so far is important in this story, and that it can't be escaped. Indeed, all relationships are constructed by power differentials (this is my view, and I'm open to hear others' views; but I can't think of one relationship not influenced by a power differential).
This power differential between human and woman is seen in two ways, I think. One is that if human is genderless, as Alter's translation proposes, then for woman to be something new from human would make her something different, and thus we have a dichotomy still: woman and non-woman human. And (secondly) non-woman human in this chapter has power over woman because "he" names her Woman (just like he names the animals). Non-woman human (who might as well be man) has power of language, and woman does not have this power. In class Chris asked us "What is Language?" I wrote briefly, "It creates, transforms, masks, divides, and deflects reality." I see non-woman human in this chapter as having a lot of power over the world, yet the woman has none or little (although she does have power in that she is created as a sustainer, someone without whom human could not survive).
I've got to dash off, so I'll leave this post at that. What do others think?
posted by Michael Faris @ 12:27 PM
1 Comments:
At 8:21 AM,
Deacon Chris said…
Makes sense. Sounds fine.
Can you make this more a conversation than a monologue, though, by spending a few more sentences representing and even quickly illustrating what I said? What you think is clear, and why. What I think and why isn't--or it's not clear you hear what I'm saying.
I'm thinking of an intellectual work that doesn't involve just trading views, I guess, or disagreement at all. Or agreement. I guess I'm thinking of listening.
So, let me listen to you more:
you're saying power in the relation between men and women. OK. I get that.
Come to think of it, though, why? What passages? Other ways to see this? Waht is it in your own background and values that would lead you to see this?
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