Shrinking Goddess - Power, Myth and the Female Body

Wild and strange stories have been told about the female body since antiquity. Ranging from the empowering to the absurd, they have not only survived, but continue to influence modern discourse.
The Shrinking Goddess brings together these myths about the female form - including poisoned hymens and witches with multiple mammalia and traces subsequent male efforts to 'tame' it. Mineke Schipper examines why the first creation figure, Mother Earth, fell out of popular culture, and how women"s bodies have been represented around the world ever since, from the demon daughter of New Mexico with a toothed vagina to the Japanese supermarkets and European festivals where "breast puddings" are still considered delicacies.
Drawing together the vast reservoir of writing and art that shape how women are seen in today"s world, Schipper reclaims the female body as a source of power.

About the author

Mineke Schipper is a cultural historian and writer. She is the author of seven critically acclaimed works including Never Marry a Woman with Big Feet: Women in Proverbs from Around the World and Naked or Covered: A History of Dressing and Undressing Around the World. Her writing has been published in The Times, El Mundo and the Los Angeles Times, among others. Schipper was foreign secretary of Dutch PEN, chair of Index on Censorship Nederland and currently serves as Emeritus Professor of Intercultural Literary Studies at the University of Leiden, with visiting professorships in Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and China. She received a Royal Order of Knighthood for her contribution to social and cultural studies. She lives in the Netherlands.

Product details

• Authors: Mineke Schipper, Schipper Mineke
• Publisher: Saqi Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.10.2024
• EAN: 9781908906595
• ISBN: 978-1-908906-59-5
• No. of pages: 336
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Cultural history; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Ethnology > Folklore; Cultural Studies, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Women's Studies, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Folklore & Mythology, Sociology: customs & traditions, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, HISTORY / Women, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Customs & Traditions, Folklore, myths & legends, Social and cultural history, Gender studies: women, Gender studies: women and girls, Cultural studies: customs and traditions, Folklore studies / Study of myth (mythology)