“Sick woman” or “half woman”? Breast and cervical cancer, emotional script and representations of female body in a mediterranean area of Italy

The proposal aims to highlight the semiotic elements of the discourse that refer to the symbolic ones of representations, and that transform the therapy in an exercise of professional dominion aimed to modify the perception of the self of the female patient through the subversion of specific emotion...

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Main Author: Ignazia Bartholini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Academicus 2016-07-01
Series:Academicus : International Scientific Journal
Subjects:
Online Access: http://www.academicus.edu.al/nr14/Academicus-MMXVI-14-118-134.pdf
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spelling doaj-7e3e50fc90234f5db01784c3c868d9a32020-11-25T00:32:46ZengAcademicusAcademicus : International Scientific Journal2079-37152016-07-01MMXVI1411813410.7336/academicus.2016.14.08“Sick woman” or “half woman”? Breast and cervical cancer, emotional script and representations of female body in a mediterranean area of ItalyIgnazia BartholiniThe proposal aims to highlight the semiotic elements of the discourse that refer to the symbolic ones of representations, and that transform the therapy in an exercise of professional dominion aimed to modify the perception of the self of the female patient through the subversion of specific emotional script. The mapping of the emotional scripts of shame and modesty, in their performative evolution, will be useful to demonstrate how and through what relational strategies the medicalization performs a gender violence which leads to exclude and self-stigmatise the sick woman, considered a “half woman”. The reflection that has its incipit in the ascertainment that the female body has been and keeps being a means of “male dominion” and object of “symbolic violence” as well as physical, and favors unexpected articulations related to a female body affected by breast or uterus cancer with often devastating effects on the woman’s self-perception. This proposal provides a reflection on the effects of experience of female cancer in the emotional sphere and in the gender relations of 36 Italian and stranger women. The research aims at discussing the role of medical therapy as a social practice of male domination that imposes a traditional representation in which female beauty is equivalent to the physical integrity and full functioning of specific attributes sexed (uterus that creates, breast that feeds). The focus of research is an analysis particularly focusing on the transformations of perception of body as Körper and the emotions which, cross-sectionally, constitutes the self-perception of Leib. http://www.academicus.edu.al/nr14/Academicus-MMXVI-14-118-134.pdf female cancers; emotions; representations; male domination
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Ignazia Bartholini
spellingShingle Ignazia Bartholini
“Sick woman” or “half woman”? Breast and cervical cancer, emotional script and representations of female body in a mediterranean area of Italy
Academicus : International Scientific Journal
female cancers; emotions; representations; male domination
author_facet Ignazia Bartholini
author_sort Ignazia Bartholini
title “Sick woman” or “half woman”? Breast and cervical cancer, emotional script and representations of female body in a mediterranean area of Italy
title_short “Sick woman” or “half woman”? Breast and cervical cancer, emotional script and representations of female body in a mediterranean area of Italy
title_full “Sick woman” or “half woman”? Breast and cervical cancer, emotional script and representations of female body in a mediterranean area of Italy
title_fullStr “Sick woman” or “half woman”? Breast and cervical cancer, emotional script and representations of female body in a mediterranean area of Italy
title_full_unstemmed “Sick woman” or “half woman”? Breast and cervical cancer, emotional script and representations of female body in a mediterranean area of Italy
title_sort “sick woman” or “half woman”? breast and cervical cancer, emotional script and representations of female body in a mediterranean area of italy
publisher Academicus
series Academicus : International Scientific Journal
issn 2079-3715
publishDate 2016-07-01
description The proposal aims to highlight the semiotic elements of the discourse that refer to the symbolic ones of representations, and that transform the therapy in an exercise of professional dominion aimed to modify the perception of the self of the female patient through the subversion of specific emotional script. The mapping of the emotional scripts of shame and modesty, in their performative evolution, will be useful to demonstrate how and through what relational strategies the medicalization performs a gender violence which leads to exclude and self-stigmatise the sick woman, considered a “half woman”. The reflection that has its incipit in the ascertainment that the female body has been and keeps being a means of “male dominion” and object of “symbolic violence” as well as physical, and favors unexpected articulations related to a female body affected by breast or uterus cancer with often devastating effects on the woman’s self-perception. This proposal provides a reflection on the effects of experience of female cancer in the emotional sphere and in the gender relations of 36 Italian and stranger women. The research aims at discussing the role of medical therapy as a social practice of male domination that imposes a traditional representation in which female beauty is equivalent to the physical integrity and full functioning of specific attributes sexed (uterus that creates, breast that feeds). The focus of research is an analysis particularly focusing on the transformations of perception of body as Körper and the emotions which, cross-sectionally, constitutes the self-perception of Leib.
topic female cancers; emotions; representations; male domination
url http://www.academicus.edu.al/nr14/Academicus-MMXVI-14-118-134.pdf
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