Terms Used by Theorists of Gender & Sex

THE FOLLOWING TERMS are presented in alphabetical order; however, someone beginning to learn about these theorists needs to stay conscious of the fact that each major theorist uses particular terms in his or her particular way. I have indicated those terms that are particularly tied to an individual theorist, as well as those terms that are used differently by two different critics. For an introduction to the work of a few theorists of gender and sex who are currently influencing the discipline, see the Modules on Theories of Gender and Sex in this site. Note that film theory has been particularly important for theorists of gender and sex and that some of the terms tied to that approach are covered in the Narratology section of this Guide to Theory. Whenever a defined term is used elsewhere in the Guide to Theory, a hyperlink will eventually (if it does not already) allow you to review the term in the bottom frame of your browser window. The menu on the left allows you to check out the available terms without having to scroll through the list below. Note that the left-hand frame works best in Explorer, Mozilla, and Netscape 4; you may experience some bugs in Netscape 6 and Opera. (See the Guide to the Guide for suggestions.) I will also soon provide an alternate menu option; for now, just scroll down.

A
Apparitional Lesbian:
	Definition coming sooon.
B
Binary Opposition:
	Definition coming sooon.
C
Castration:
	Definition coming sooon.
D
Desire:
	Definition coming sooon.
E
Écriture féminine:
	Definition coming sooon.
F
Feminist:
	Definition coming sooon.
G
Gender:
	It is widely held that while one's sex is determined by anatomy, the concepts of "gender"--the traits that constitute masculinity and femininity--are largely, if not entirely, cultural constructs, effected by the omnipresent patriarchal biases of our civilization. The masculine in this fashion has come to be identified as active, dominating, adventurous, rational, creative; the feminine, by systematic opposition to such traits, has come to be identified as passive, acquiescent, timid, emotional, and conventional.
Gynesis:
	Definition coming sooon.
H
Heteronormativity (heteronormative):
	Those punitive rules (social, familial, and legal) that force us to conform to hegemonic, heterosexual standards for identity. The term is a short version of "normative heterosexuality."
Homosociality:
	Definition coming sooon.
I
Ideology:
	Definition coming sooon.
J
Jouissance:
	Definition coming sooon.
K
L
Lack:
	Definition coming sooon.
M
Misogyny:
	Definition coming sooon.
N
Naturalize:
	Definition coming sooon.
Nature:
	Definition coming sooon.
O
Objectification:
	Definition coming sooon.
Other:
	The female tends to be defined by negative reference to the male as the human norm, hence as a kind of non-man or abject "Other." She is seen as lacking the identifying male organ, male power, and the male character traits that are presumed to have achieved the most important inventions and works of civilization.
P
Patriarchy:
	Definition coming sooon.
Performativity:
	Definition coming sooon.
Phallocentrism or Phallogocentrism:
	The privileging of the masculine (the phallus) in understanding meaning or social relations. This term evolved from deconstructionists who questioned the "logocentrism" of Western literature and thought, i.e. the belief in the centrality of logos, understood as cosmic reason (affirmed in ancient Greek philosophy as the source of world order and intelligibility) or, in the Christian version, the self-revealing thought and will of God. The term is also associated with Lacanian psychoanalysis, which understands the entrance of subjects into language as a negotiation of the phallus and the Name of the Father. (See the modules on Lacan.) Feminists illustrate how all Western languages, in all their features, are utterly and irredeemably male-engendered, male-constituted, and male-dominated. Discourse is "phallogocentric" because it is centered and organized throughout by implicit recourse to the phallus both as its supposed ground (or logos) and as its prime signifier and power source; and not only in its vocabulary and syntax, but also in its rigorous rules of logic, its proclivity for fixed classifications and oppositions, and its criteria for what we take to be valid evidence and objective knowledge.
Q
Queer Studies :
	Definition coming sooon.
R
Radical Democracy:
Reification:
Repressive Hypothesis:
S
Scopophilia:
	Definition coming sooon.
Sex:
	Definition coming sooon.
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z