The notion of a special intimacy between 'the feminine and the sacred' has received significant attention since the publication of Julia Kristeva and Catherine Clement's famous ecumenical 'conversation' of the same name which focussed on the relationship between meaning and the body at whose interface the feminine is positioned. Brought to the wider public as the 'sacred feminine', it has also made its mark on popular culture. Taking up the debate and moving beyond anthropology or theology, writers from varied ethnic, geo-cultural and religious perspectives here join with secular cultural analysts to explore the sacred and the feminine in art, architecture, literature, art history, music, philosophy, theology, critical theory and cultural studies. The book addresses key issues in feminist questions of creativity, the imaginary and the sacred as 'otherness', exploring the ways in which visual practices have explored this rich, contested and highly charged territory.

Conceptual Odysseys

by Griselda Pollock

Published 24 October 2007
The 'theoretical turn' within the arts and humanities in the 1970s and 1980s has, for many, had its day, with work produced under its rubric all too often feeling tired or even downright lazy. In its place - whilst hazarding against an outright rejection of theory - this book, introduced by Mieke Bal, presents work by a new generation of scholars responding directly to Bal's idea of the 'travelling concept'. By taking a concept from one discipline and, with a genuine understanding of its origin, thoughtfully applying this in a new context, exciting new possibilities are opened up for analysis of artworks and other cultural objects. Here, we find these 'travelling concepts' employed in fresh explorations of subjects as diverse as the paintings of Poussin and of Adam Elsheimer; Chantal Akerman's film; the Museum of the French Revolution and the work of German Jewish painter Charlotte Salomon. This is a uniquely illuminating contribution to the edgy territorial conflicts between visual culture, art history and cultural studies.