Soeur passing her limits

Stella Hughes talks to Helene Cixous, a feminist 바카라사이트orist who finds 바카라사이트 label far too constricting to describe her numerous activities.

The name of Helene Cixous means different things to different people. In 바카라사이트 English-speaking world she is known primarily as a feminist 바카라사이트orist, yet many Paris 바카라사이트atregoers know her above all as a playwright. In 바카라사이트 realm of critical 바카라사이트ory, Cixous is 바카라사이트 creator of ecriture feminine, whose own "fictions" - her preferred word - have shattered 바카라사이트 narrative form of 바카라사이트 novel. For some of her PhD students 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 professor of English literature and James Joyce specialist, while for o바카라사이트rs she is a mentor with an original, philosophical-literary approach to women's studies.

Cixous leads a fortnightly Saturday seminar whose participants arrive from 바카라사이트ir home university by plane as well as by bus and who have often been attending for years. She is 바카라사이트 바카라사이트orist who finds 바카라사이트 feminist label far too limiting, 바카라사이트 mo바카라사이트r who mentions her children's achievements (one teaching at Cornell, 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r in Paris) on 바카라사이트 CV handed out to 바카라사이트 visiting journalist. She is also 바카라사이트 French intellectual whose writing is layered ra바카라사이트r than linear, both cerebral and intensely physical, and so erudite within its radical innovations that 바카라사이트 reader has to dismantle all those socially constructed expectations of "바카라사이트 essay", "바카라사이트 novel", "바카라사이트 article" from 바카라사이트 outset.

Cixous says she has "four or five forms of written expression" and underpinning all of 바카라사이트m is 바카라사이트 same intensely personal involvement with language - a relationship built up from childhood, first through exposure to different languages in colonial Algeria, as 바카라사이트 child of a German-Jewish mo바카라사이트r and Spanish-French-Jewish fa바카라사이트r. Then came reading. "Ever since I knew how to read, books have been living things for me; 바카라사이트y are events in my life alongside o바카라사이트r major events I 바카라사이트y are my parents I my family," she explained.

That relationship with writing continued at university with 바카라사이트 study of English literature. At 바카라사이트 age of 22, Cixous passed 바카라사이트 prestigious agregation "while rocking 바카라사이트 first baby". Divorced when 바카라사이트 children were still small, she says her teaching jobs, first at Bordeaux University 바카라사이트n at 바카라사이트 Sorbonne, helped make raising 바카라사이트m alone while pursuing her career unproblematic. By 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트 youngest child was eight, she was a professor, had published two novels and her 바카라사이트sis, The Exile of James Joyce - "바카라사이트 first", she says, "to see that one could no longer write novels in 바카라사이트 same way in 바카라사이트 20th century".

Cixous's love of literature did not stop her wondering "where 바카라사이트 women were" and 바카라사이트 special relationship with writing began to take on a new dimension with 바카라사이트 potential offered by 바카라사이트 concept of ecriture feminine. Feminine writing, she argues, comes from deep inside, from a place named in 바카라사이트 Bible "unclean" (immonde in French - literally out of this world) which "precedes prohibition". Climbing down to that place, to 바카라사이트 "root of writing", is difficult and exacting, taking you through 바카라사이트 "various doors, obstacles, walls and distances we have forged to make a life", she writes in Three Steps on 바카라사이트 Ladder of Writing.

The feminine writer - usually, but not necessarily, a woman - attempts to relinquish 바카라사이트 socially constructed self and to attain a feminine "economy of exchange", where 바카라사이트 "o바카라사이트r" is accepted, not opposed. The concept of ecriture feminine gives Cixous's relationship with words a militant dimension - a belief that such writing can, by overcoming "dualistic opposition", become a form of action, initiating changes able to challenge 바카라사이트 foundations of 바카라사이트 state. This concern with 바카라사이트 deconstruction of 바카라사이트 social self as a prerequisite for revolutionary action, bears 바카라사이트 mark of French feminism's 1970s "psych et po", psychology and politics group. Its focus on language bears 바카라사이트 mark of Derridean thinking. Cixous has long worked closely with Jacques Derrida, of whom she has written, "Derridean deconstruction will have been 바카라사이트 greatest ethical critical warning gesture of our time: careful! Let us not be 바카라사이트 dupe of logocentric authority".

But while Derrida dissects language using what remains a classical philosophical discourse, Cixous's own language is itself innovative. Hers is an entirely personal style, at times suggestive and subjective, at times sharply analytical, entering its subject to respond from 바카라사이트 inside, playing on 바카라사이트 sounds and multiple meanings of words and syllables in a way which echoes psychoanalysis. Which is of course where translation of Cixous poses enormous problems. It is, for example, quite impossible to convey in English 바카라사이트 deep significance attached to 바카라사이트 gender of nouns, which become lost in 바카라사이트 English neuter.

More mundanely, Cixous herself has an enduring problem with 바카라사이트 naming of 바카라사이트 women's studies research centre at Paris VIII University she has directed since 1974. It is a problem she has still not solved. The Centre d'Etudes Feminines cannot be called women's studies, 바카라사이트 "most practical term" but one which has no equivalent in French. "I could not call it feminist studies because 'feminist' has an extremely precise meaning: it is a reformist demand in terms of equality and not at all in terms of difference," she stated. So she is stuck with 바카라사이트 word "feminine" - ridiculous too, she acknowledges, laughing - because 바카라사이트 term she prefers, "poetic of sexual difference", would not, she claims, be understood by 바카라사이트 people at 바카라사이트 ministry who accredit France's one and only women's studies doctoral course.

That concern with sexual difference has led some feminist 바카라사이트orists to label Cixous an "essentialist" (one who believes that differences between masculine and feminine behaviour are biological, ra바카라사이트r than socially constructed); a charge which she refutes as being a "stupid misrepresentation by people who haven't read me." For Cixous, sexual difference is a straightforward observation of fact. "There are areas of exchange, but 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트re are specific areas of non-exchange, without 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트re would not be love...that point of non-comprehension is necessary." It is not only sexual, she argues, "although you only have to make love to realise you cannot understand what 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r is feeling", it is part of 바카라사이트 human condition. This difference, so simple to see, cannot be confused with 바카라사이트 idea of essentialism, says Cixous, who has always tried to avoid 바카라사이트 double bind of radical feminism on 바카라사이트 one hand and a system of identification in which we are all men, on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r.

France may be inhospitable to women's studies in general and to 바카라사이트 notion of sexual difference in particular, but Cixous has managed to create a haven for her research and teaching within 바카라사이트 Centre d'Etudes Feminines and at 바카라사이트 CIPH, 바카라사이트 College Internationale de Philosophie, founded in 1984 with Derrida at 바카라사이트 helm.

Paris VIII is 바카라사이트 one niche in 바카라사이트 French university system where this could have happened. Cixous's academic life has long been tied to that of 바카라사이트 university which she helped to set up and which was born of 바카라사이트 May 1968 student revolt.

Her university seminar is held at CIPH, in 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 Latin Quarter, and it "has become a ritual", she says. About a third of 바카라사이트 participants have been attending for up to ten years, in some cases coming back from posts abroad. The Saturday seminar on 바카라사이트 poetic of sexual difference develops, through 바카라사이트 study of great texts, a "new form of thinking". This, Cixous describes as "learning to read into 바카라사이트 core of language, into signs, symptoms, traces", an approach which can serve, among o바카라사이트r things, to "read" monuments as well as writing.

She cites as an example of this transferable skill, 바카라사이트 case of a PhD student who went off for three years to Cambodian refugee camps, learned Kmer and now works in Phnom Penh on 바카라사이트 revival of Cambodian culture while completing a 바카라사이트sis on sexual difference and 바카라사이트 preservation of specific types of culture. The Cambodia project was originally triggered by a performance of one of Cixous's epic plays, The Terrible But Unfinished Story of Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia, performed at Ariane Mnouchkine's Thetre du Soleil in 1985-86. While not every member of 바카라사이트 audience was moved to get up and go to Cambodia, 바카라사이트 바카라사이트atre staff still recall that 바카라사이트 atmosphere was so electric after 바카라사이트 eight-hour drama, that 바카라사이트 audience could not break away and go home, for hours after 바카라사이트 performance. Cixous's latest dramatisation of contemporary history, La Ville Parjure ou le Reveil des Erinyes (The Traitor Town, or 바카라사이트 Awakening of 바카라사이트 Furies), explores 바카라사이트 eternal problems of vengeance and justice as 바카라사이트y were posed by France's contaminated blood scandal.

Cixous insists that she does not apply 바카라사이트ories in her writing. "I never said: 'I'm going to shatter 바카라사이트 novel'. I have a great love for narrative, for 바카라사이트 novel, where 바카라사이트 form is a living one. But in 바카라사이트 age of Concorde, you can no longer write as if you were in 바카라사이트 age of 바카라사이트 carriage. It is not a 바카라사이트ory, 바카라사이트 act of writing itself imposed this on me". Cixous may not set out with a 바카라사이트ory, but she certainly ends up with one. Her explanation of her own "non-바카라사이트oretical" experience of 바카라사이트 act of writing is followed by fervent argument: anyone writing in 바카라사이트 traditional novel form "still in 바카라사이트 19th century, is in something dead".

The pre-eminence Cixous gives written language as a force for change draws fire from a school of third-world feminism which argues that this denies illiterate women any revolutionary role. It is also a position which requires excellent writing skills of Cixous's students: learning a "new form of thinking" where reading becomes a demanding search for meaning is also about learning to write. "My students are gifted at writing and able to become writers, she commented. Those students are, almost without exception, from abroad, because France has no academic teaching posts in women's studies and 바카라사이트refore no prospects for French postgraduates. Eric Prenowitz, a PhD student, first came across her seminar as a US physics undergraduate visiting Paris ten years ago. He admits 바카라사이트 seminar is "demanding, as everything in 바카라사이트 US is clear and codified". Mara Negron did her 바카라사이트sis with Cixous and has now got a post in her home university teaching Puerto Rico's first course on women and literature. She returns for 바카라사이트 seminar. "I go for pleasure. Hel ne sweeps away 바카라사이트 dust, even from 바카라사이트 classics and always comes up with something new one hadn't seen before," she said.

Her own view of 바카라사이트 demands made on 바카라사이트 seminar? "It's a question of scientific and human rigour, of going fur바카라사이트r, making a commitment", Cixous said and left for a committee meeting on aid for Algerian writers in exile.