First phase The term was coined in 1927 by Ernest Jones, as part of his debate with Freud over the role of the phallic stage in childhood development, when he argued that “ men analysts have been led to adopt an unduly phallo-centric view ” .Quoted in K. K. Reithven, Feminist Literary Studies (1990) p. 54 Drawing on the earlier arguments of Karen Horney,P. Gay, Freud (1989) p. 520 Jones, in a series of articles, maintained the position that women were not disappointed creatures driven by penis envy. Instead, this belief was itself a theoretical defense against castration anxiety. Freud, however, remained unmoved in his opposition to the Horney/Jones thesis,S. Freud, On Sexuality (PFL 7) p. 391-2 and his was the predominant psychoanalytic position thereafter, though some like Janet Malcolm would modify his position to the effect that “ Freud's concept, of course, is... a description of phallocentrism, not a recommendation of it ” .Janet Malcolm, The Silent Woman (1995) p. 87 Second phase Jacques Lacan added a linguistic turn to the debate with his article “ The Signification of the Phallus ” (1958/65), arguing that the phallus was not a part-object, an imaginary object, or a physical organ, but rather “ the signifier intended to designate as a whole the effects of the signified... this signifying function of the phallus ” .J. Lacan, Ecrits (1997) p. 285-8 Jacques Derrida challenged his thesis as phallocentric, and the charge was taken up by second-wave feminism,J. Childers ed., The Columbia Dictionary of Modern Literary and Cultural Criticism (1995) p. 225 extending the focus of protest from Lacan to Freud,P. Gay, Freud (1989) p. 774 psychoanalysis, and male-centered thinking as a whole:E. Ermath, Sequel to History (1992) p. 172-3 the way that “ [t]he phallus, centre of meaning, became man's identity with himself... a masculine symbolic ” .Andrea Nye, quoted in E. Ermath, Sequel to History (1992) p. 172-3 However conflict arose within feminism over the issue.E. Amour, Deconstruction (1999) p. 207 Some French feminists, seeing phallocentrism and feminism as two sides of the same coin, sought to make a postphallicist breakthrough.E. Roudinesco, Jacques Lacan (2005) p. 365 Others, like the English feminist Jacqueline Rose, while accepting that “ Lacan was implicated in the phallocentrism he described, ” J. Rose ed., Feminine Sexuality (1982) p. 56 nevertheless considered his analysis as important for an understanding of how women were constituted as a split subject in society. External links Phallus/Phallocentrism Phallocentrism
First phase The term was coined in 1927 by Ernest Jones, as part of his debate with Freud over the role of the phallic stage in childhood development, when he argued that " men analysts have been led to adopt an unduly phallo-centric view " .Quoted in K. K. Reithven, Feminist Literary Studies (1990) p. 54 Drawing on the earlier arguments of Karen Horney,P. Gay, Freud (1989) p. 520 Jones, in a series of articles, maintained the position that women were not disappointed creatures driven by penis envy. Instead, this belief was itself a theoretical defense against castration anxiety. Freud, however, remained unmoved in his opposition to the Horney/Jones thesis,S. Freud, On Sexuality (PFL 7) p. 391-2 and his was the predominant psychoanalytic position thereafter, though some like Janet Malcolm would modify his position to the effect that " Freud's concept, of course, is... a description of phallocentrism, not a recommendation of it " .Janet Malcolm, The Silent Woman (1995) p. 87 Second phase Jacques Lacan added a linguistic turn to the debate with his article " The Signification of the Phallus " (1958/65), arguing that the phallus was not a part-object, an imaginary object, or a physical organ, but rather " the signifier intended to designate as a whole the effects of the signified... this signifying function of the phallus " .J. Lacan, Ecrits (1997) p. 285-8 Jacques Derrida challenged his thesis as phallocentric, and the charge was taken up by second-wave feminism,J. Childers ed., The Columbia Dictionary of Modern Literary and Cultural Criticism (1995) p. 225 extending the focus of protest from Lacan to Freud,P. Gay, Freud (1989) p. 774 psychoanalysis, and male-centered thinking as a whole:E. Ermath, Sequel to History (1992) p. 172-3 the way that " [t]he phallus, centre of meaning, became man's identity with himself... a masculine symbolic " .Andrea Nye, quoted in E. Ermath, Sequel to History (1992) p. 172-3 However conflict arose within feminism over the issue.E. Amour, Deconstruction (1999) p. 207 Some French feminists, seeing phallocentrism and feminism as two sides of the same coin, sought to make a postphallicist breakthrough.E. Roudinesco, Jacques Lacan (2005) p. 365 Others, like the English feminist Jacqueline Rose, while accepting that " Lacan was implicated in the phallocentrism he described, " J. Rose ed., Feminine Sexuality (1982) p. 56 nevertheless considered his analysis as important for an understanding of how women were constituted as a split subject in society. External links Phallocentrism
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Phallus/Phallocentrism