Abstract: Some medical researchers say the G-spot does exist, but many
insist it does not. The qu... more Abstract: Some medical researchers say the G-spot does exist, but many insist it does not. The question as to its valid existence is being hotly debated in recent medical journals. This is no surprise, since the clitoris was marginalized in modern medical documents until 1971 when the Boston Women’s Collective finally took it upon themselves to produce new knowledges about women’s orgasms with self-examination as a method. In a scientific search for the “true” G-spot, medical researchers use approaches that inadvertently obscure the complexity and variability of sexual pleasure. In addition, many of their findings are steeped in the cultural baggage that prioritizes the Victorian ideal of feminine sexuality. This paper argues that self-examination and testimony (feminist approaches to knowledge building) are an effective way to push back against “epistemologies of ignorance” about sexual pleasure. It is organized in three parts: part one is a short genealogy of 20th century literature on the G-spot and the clitoris; part two is an analysis of three recently published medical studies, all of which seek to definitively prove or disprove the G-spot; and part three discusses the problem that the search for Objective Truth can impose on research subjects, particularly subjects who have historically been excluded from practicing medicine.
In the pursuit of creativity, negative core beliefs are significant obstacles to an artist’s succ... more In the pursuit of creativity, negative core beliefs are significant obstacles to an artist’s success, while positive affirmations encourage self-actualization. We cannot deny the importance of a positive mindset in an artist’s discipline; ruminating negative fears can hinder mental focus, suppressing creativity. This creative auto-ethnography portrays my own mental struggle with deep-rooted doubts and fears as an artist, and my attempt to battle these negative beliefs through positive affirmation. The intent of this piece is to create an aesthetic of tension and anxiety, ultimately evoking in the listener the artist’s feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness.
Discipline in education is highly valued. Michel Foucault wrote about the production of "docile b... more Discipline in education is highly valued. Michel Foucault wrote about the production of "docile bodies" by institutional disciplinary power in schools, prisons and hospitals. A different form of power characterizes the contemporary regime within education, where discipline is being replaced with sedation as the tool for the production of docile bodies. My resistance to sedation has led me to take part in a culture circle here in Edmonton, Alberta, where a group of artists, activists, students and educators meet weekly to read and discuss Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. After only a month of meetings I am feeling the transformative potential of this circle. Together through shared desire for learning we are developing critical consciousness (conscientizaçao) and developing individual capacities to recognize and eventually unweave the oppressive structures with which we are entwined.
A review of "Notes from the Orgasmic Frontier of Women's Sexuality" by Sarah Barmak, published by... more A review of "Notes from the Orgasmic Frontier of Women's Sexuality" by Sarah Barmak, published by Coach House Books, Toronto.
Abstract: Some medical researchers say the G-spot does exist, but many
insist it does not. The qu... more Abstract: Some medical researchers say the G-spot does exist, but many insist it does not. The question as to its valid existence is being hotly debated in recent medical journals. This is no surprise, since the clitoris was marginalized in modern medical documents until 1971 when the Boston Women’s Collective finally took it upon themselves to produce new knowledges about women’s orgasms with self-examination as a method. In a scientific search for the “true” G-spot, medical researchers use approaches that inadvertently obscure the complexity and variability of sexual pleasure. In addition, many of their findings are steeped in the cultural baggage that prioritizes the Victorian ideal of feminine sexuality. This paper argues that self-examination and testimony (feminist approaches to knowledge building) are an effective way to push back against “epistemologies of ignorance” about sexual pleasure. It is organized in three parts: part one is a short genealogy of 20th century literature on the G-spot and the clitoris; part two is an analysis of three recently published medical studies, all of which seek to definitively prove or disprove the G-spot; and part three discusses the problem that the search for Objective Truth can impose on research subjects, particularly subjects who have historically been excluded from practicing medicine.
In the pursuit of creativity, negative core beliefs are significant obstacles to an artist’s succ... more In the pursuit of creativity, negative core beliefs are significant obstacles to an artist’s success, while positive affirmations encourage self-actualization. We cannot deny the importance of a positive mindset in an artist’s discipline; ruminating negative fears can hinder mental focus, suppressing creativity. This creative auto-ethnography portrays my own mental struggle with deep-rooted doubts and fears as an artist, and my attempt to battle these negative beliefs through positive affirmation. The intent of this piece is to create an aesthetic of tension and anxiety, ultimately evoking in the listener the artist’s feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness.
Discipline in education is highly valued. Michel Foucault wrote about the production of "docile b... more Discipline in education is highly valued. Michel Foucault wrote about the production of "docile bodies" by institutional disciplinary power in schools, prisons and hospitals. A different form of power characterizes the contemporary regime within education, where discipline is being replaced with sedation as the tool for the production of docile bodies. My resistance to sedation has led me to take part in a culture circle here in Edmonton, Alberta, where a group of artists, activists, students and educators meet weekly to read and discuss Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. After only a month of meetings I am feeling the transformative potential of this circle. Together through shared desire for learning we are developing critical consciousness (conscientizaçao) and developing individual capacities to recognize and eventually unweave the oppressive structures with which we are entwined.
A review of "Notes from the Orgasmic Frontier of Women's Sexuality" by Sarah Barmak, published by... more A review of "Notes from the Orgasmic Frontier of Women's Sexuality" by Sarah Barmak, published by Coach House Books, Toronto.
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insist it does not. The question as to its valid existence is being hotly debated in recent medical journals. This is no surprise, since the clitoris was marginalized in modern medical documents until 1971 when the Boston Women’s Collective finally took it upon themselves to produce new
knowledges about women’s orgasms with self-examination as a method. In
a scientific search for the “true” G-spot, medical researchers use approaches that inadvertently obscure the complexity and variability of sexual pleasure. In addition, many of their findings are steeped in the cultural baggage that prioritizes the Victorian ideal of feminine sexuality. This paper argues that self-examination and testimony (feminist approaches to knowledge building) are an effective way to push back against “epistemologies of ignorance” about sexual pleasure. It is organized in three parts: part one is a short genealogy of 20th century literature on the G-spot and the clitoris; part two is an analysis of three recently published medical studies, all of which seek to definitively prove or disprove the G-spot; and part three discusses the problem that the search for Objective Truth can impose on research subjects, particularly subjects who have historically been excluded from practicing medicine.
insist it does not. The question as to its valid existence is being hotly debated in recent medical journals. This is no surprise, since the clitoris was marginalized in modern medical documents until 1971 when the Boston Women’s Collective finally took it upon themselves to produce new
knowledges about women’s orgasms with self-examination as a method. In
a scientific search for the “true” G-spot, medical researchers use approaches that inadvertently obscure the complexity and variability of sexual pleasure. In addition, many of their findings are steeped in the cultural baggage that prioritizes the Victorian ideal of feminine sexuality. This paper argues that self-examination and testimony (feminist approaches to knowledge building) are an effective way to push back against “epistemologies of ignorance” about sexual pleasure. It is organized in three parts: part one is a short genealogy of 20th century literature on the G-spot and the clitoris; part two is an analysis of three recently published medical studies, all of which seek to definitively prove or disprove the G-spot; and part three discusses the problem that the search for Objective Truth can impose on research subjects, particularly subjects who have historically been excluded from practicing medicine.