NEW SCARE CITY

It's a fictional streetscape we wander, here, a metropolis whose buildings, boulevards, and back alleys are in a constant state of flux. This is every place, and yet, no place at all - a city of dreams and a dream of a city.

Here, we explore the life and work of Ivan Illich and his circle of collaborators. There's no comprehensive index to the articles published, but we invite you to use the Search box, to the left, and to explore the Archive links that appear at the bottom of each page. Comments are welcomed.

Monday, May 27, 2013

'Disembodying Women' Reviewed, Harshly

In 1995, Barbara Duden's book, Disembodying Women: Perspectives on Pregnancy and the Unborn, came in for a highly critical and dismissive review at a site called New Oxford Review. The publication calls itself "an orthodox Catholic magazine, … addressing head-on the full range of issues confronting Holy Mother Church, and doing so with unswerving loyalty to her Pope and Magisterium."

The reviewer is Laura Garcia, a teacher of religious philosophy. She has co-founded two organizations, University Faculty for Life and Women Affirming Life. One of Duden's concerns in her book -- and one that she discussed at length with Ivan Illich -- is the idolization of "life," particularly as encouraged by the visualization of the human fetus through intra-uterine photography and ultrasound imaging and the reframing of pregnancy as a process, and the mother as a system, that both require intensive management.

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Moi

Santa Rosa, California, United States
Writer, photographer, music fan; father and husband living in northern Calif.