ONTOLOGICAL COMMITMENT AND THE CONCEPTS OF EMBODIMENT AND EMBODIED PERSON - SOME PROBLEMS FOR FEMINIST THEORY

In recent years, seemingly straightforward terms like 'embody', 'embodiment' and 'embodied person' have become increasingly significant concepts within various feminist analyses. This paper argues that the origins of these concepts within the mainstream of western political and philosophical discourse has imbued them with particular ontological commitments that place them at odds with the sorts of realities envisaged by feminist political theorists. It is argued that their conceptual adequacy for feminist theorizing is limited particularly where it concerns the development of adequate theories of the body. The argument also demonstrates the need for feminist theorists to continue to develop a critical perspective on terms and ideas originating from within the mainstream of western political thought.