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

In recent years, seemingly straightforward terms like 'embody', 'embod iment' and 'embodied person' have become increasingly significant conc epts within various feminist analyses. This paper argues that the orig ins of these concepts within the mainstream of western political and p hilosophical discourse has imbued them with particular ontological com mitments that place them at odds with the sorts of realities envisaged by feminist political theorists. It is argued that their conceptual a dequacy for feminist theorizing is limited particularly where it conce rns the development of adequate theories of the body. The argument als o 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.