Notes towards a surfacing of feminist theoretical turns ...research.gold.ac.uk/14616/1/Coleman...
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Notestowardsasurfacingoffeministtheoreticalturns
ContributiontoAustralianFeministStudies
RebeccaColeman,SociologyDepartment,Goldsmiths,UniversityofLondon
Abstract
Thisarticlesuggeststhatfeministtheoreticalturnsareilluminatingtostudy,asthey
makeexplicithowWesternfeministtheoryisinterestednotonlyinthecontentof
differenttheoreticalturns,butalso,relatedly,inhowtheseturnsmovefeministtheory
inparticulardirections.Exploringsomeofthecurrentandhistoricaldebateaboutturns
infeministtheory,Ipayparticularattentiontohowthesedebatesmightbeunderstood
intermsofawiderangeofworkonthenon-lineartemporalitiesoffeministtheory.I
suggestthatonewaytounderstandthenon-lineartemporalitiesevidentindebatesover
feministtheoreticalturnsisthrougha‘turntothesurface’.Toexplicatethissuggestion,I
offeraseriesoffiveindicativeissues,termsandideas,whichemergebothfromrecent
workonthesurfaceandfeministtheory,andfrommyattemptstothinkconceptually
aboutturns,surfaces,andtherelationsbetweenthem.Theseare:(i)reflexivity;(ii)
possibility;(iii)lines;(iv)knots;and(v)diagrams.Iconcludebyraisinganumberof
furtherpointsthatemergethroughanattempttoengageinthesurfacingoffeminist
theory.
Keywords
Feministtheoreticalturns;temporality;surfaces;reflexivity;possibility;lines;knots;
diagrams
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Bio
RebeccaColemanisSeniorLecturerintheSociologyDepartment,Goldsmiths,University
ofLondon.Herresearchandteachingfocusesonsensorysociologyandaffect,bodies,
temporality(especiallyfuturesandpresents),surfaces,andinventivemethodologies.
Shehaspublishedwidelyintheseareasandiscurrentlydevelopinginterdisciplinary
projectsthatcutacrossthem.
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Agooddealofdiscussioniscurrentlybeinghadontheturnstoaffectandthenew
materialism(s)inWesternfeministtheory.Suchdiscussionisnotnew;thecultural,
linguisticandpostmodernturnsinfeministtheoryinthe1980sand1990salso
generatedsimilardebate.Inquestioningwhatandwhoisincludedandexcludedin
thesetheoreticalshifts,thediscussiondemonstrateshowattentiontoissuesofaccess,
omissionandmarginalizationisvitaltofeministtheory,andmorewidelyhasbeen
crucialinpointingoutandinterveninginnormativepowerrelationsandknowledge
production.Italsodemonstratesthesignificanceofthedevelopment,advancementor
trajectoryoffeministtheorytofeministtheory.Thatis,feministtheoryisinterestednot
onlyinthecontentofdifferenttheoreticalturns,butalso,relatedly,inhowtheseturns
orientfeministtheoryinparticulardirections.Thereisdebate,then,overwhatisat
stakeinatheoreticalturn,howitcomestobeofconcernataparticularmoment,and
howcertainmattersofinterestcometomovefeministtheory.Turnsthusilluminate
(struggleover)thecontentandmovementsoffeministtheory;andtheyarealsoa
particularlyilluminatingfocusofstudyinthemselves,asthedebatearoundandabout
themmakeexplicitfeministtheoreticalmovementsandtrajectories.
Whilerecognisingthatthecontentandtrajectoriesoffeministtheorycannotbefully
separated,myaiminthisarticleistoconcentrateonthemovementsandtrajectoriesof
feministtheoreticalturns.Iaddressthreemainquestions:Howmightfeministtheorybe
understoodintermsofasurface?Whatmightaconceptionofthesurfacehavetooffer
understandingsofthetrajectoriesandmovementsoffeministtheory?And,more
specifically,howmightconceivingfeministtheoryintermsofasurfaceaccountforthe
waysinwhichthetemporalitiesoffeministtheoryareunderstoodinongoingdebates
abouttheoreticalturns?Asthesequestionsindicate,whileIdiscusssomeofthedebates
thatariseaboutspecificturns,myaimistofocusonturnsmoreabstractly,inorderto
thinkaboutthetemporalworkthattheyareunderstoodtodo1.Infocusingon
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temporality,Iamdrawingonawiderangeoffeministworkonnarrativesandstories
(Hemmings2011),generation(vanderTuin2009,2015,McRobbie2008),the(non-
)reproductionand‘passingon’offeminism(Roof1997,Adkins2004,Skeggs2008),as
wellasonfeministhope(Spivak2002,ColemanandFerreday2011),optimism(Berlant
2011),futurity(Grosz1999,2000,Coleman2009),andtransformation(Ahmedetal
2000).Muchofthisworkchallengesthenotionoflineartemporalityasanadequate
meansthroughwhichtounderstandfeministtheory,arguingthatfeministtheorymoves
notsomuchthrough‘continuousgrowth,smoothunfolding,oraccretion’(Grosz1999:
28),butratherthroughstruggle,attrition,divisionanddifference(Grosz1999,Skeggs
2008,Spivak2002),reflexivity(Adkins2004),diffraction(Barad2007,Haraway1997,
vanderTuin2011),re-turns(Hemmings2011,HughesandLury2013),orintensive
time(Coleman2014).Idrawonthisworktoexplorethetemporalitiesoffeminist
theoreticalturns.
Todothis,Itakeupwhatiscalleda‘turntothesurface’inrecentculturalandsocial
theory(AdkinsandLury2009,Forsythetal2013,ColemanandOakley-Brown,in
preparation).Notingthatthisemergingareaofinterdisciplinaryresearchisitself
proposedasa‘turn’,Iexplorehowthesurfaceisunderstoodas‘aspace[andtime]of
possiblestates’(AdkinsandLury2009:18);asitethatis‘open,processual,non-linear
andconstantlyonthemove’(AdkinsandLury2009:18).Isuggestthatfeministturns
mightbeunderstoodintermsofsuchasurface.Inordertoexplicatethissuggestion,I
offeraseriesoffiveindicativeissues,termsandideas,whichemergebothfromrecent
workonthesurfaceandsomeofthefeministtheoryintroducedabove,andfrommy
attemptstothinkconceptuallyaboutturns,surfaces,andtherelationsbetweenthem.
Theseare:(i)reflexivity;(ii)possibility;(iii)lines;(iv)knots;and(v)diagrams.Iconclude
byraisinganumberoffurtherpointsthatemergethroughanattempttoengageinthe
surfacingoffeministtheory.
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Debatingfeministtheoreticalturns
Incontemporaryfeminist,socialandculturaltheory,itisperhapstheaffectiveandnew
materialistturnsthataremostprominent,andhencecurrentlygeneratingmostdebate.
Bothoftheseturnsareinterdisciplinary,drawingscholars,theories,concepts,and
examplesfromacrossthesocialsciences,humanities,artsandsciences.2Giventhese
differenttraditionsofworkonandpositionsfromwhichtoapproachaffectandthenew
materialisms,itisunsurprisingthatthetermsoftheturnsareunderdebate.For
example,intheaffectiveturn,someofthesedebatesfocusontheveracity,effectiveness
andappropriatenessofapplyingconceptsdevelopedinonedisciplineordomainto
another(seeLeys2011,PapouliasandCallard2010,Wetherell2012,2015).Other
debatesattendtohowtheoristsarepositionedinrelationtotheturn.ClareHemmings
(2005)hasarguedthatwhilebothEveKofoskySedgwick(1995,2003)andBrian
Massumi(1995,2002)–twocentraltheoristsofaffectwhocomefromdifferent
traditionsandhavebeeninfluentialtofeministandqueertheory–notethataffectis
inherentlyneithergoodnorbad,theyneverthelessfocuson‘thegoodaffectthatundoes
thebad’(2005:551).Theeffect,Hemmingscontends,isforaffecttheoryto‘often
emerge…asarhetoricaldevicewhoseultimategoalistopersuade“paranoidtheorists”
intoamoreproductiveframeofmind’(2005:551);thatis,feministtheoryis
encouragedtobeaffirmativeratherthannegative.Thisapproachrisksignoringwhat
SianneNgai(2005)calls‘uglyfeelings’,whichinheranalysisoffilmandliteratureshe
arguesaremorereadilyassociatedwithpeopleofcolour;asSaidiyaV.Hartmanargues
‘[a]ffect,gesture,andavulnerabilitytoviolence’hashistorically‘constitutedblackness’
(1997:26).Assuch,formanywhoexpressconcernovertheaffectiveturn,thosewho
arepositionedas(focusingonthe)‘negative’areatoncealsopositionedas‘belong[ing]
tothepast,tothealreadydealtwith’(Hemmings2005:561).Itisnotablethatthose
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positionedas‘past’areveryoftenthoseconcernedwith‘old’categoriesofrace,gender,
class–andindeed,asIdiscussbelow,withstructuralproblemssuchaspatriarchy.
Similardebatesarepresentinargumentsforandassessmentsofthe‘newmaterialist
turn’,which,whiledistinct,inmanywaysintersectswiththeaffectiveturninitsinterest
inmateriality,processandtheentanglementofnatureandculture.Pickinguponthe
waysthisdebateengageswiththemovementanddevelopmentoffeministtheory,itis
notablethatthe‘new’innewmaterialismsisoftenidentifiedasofparticularconcern.
SaraAhmed,forexample,arguesthatinproposinganewmaterialistapproachasnovel,
advocatestendtopresent‘afalseandreductivehistoryoffeministengagementwith
biology,scienceandmaterialism’(2008:24).Feminismhaslongexamined,interrogated
andcritiquedbiologyandscience,andthus‘weneedtoappreciatethefeministwork
thatcomesbeforeus,inallitscomplexity’(2008:36).AsPetaHintonandXinLiu(2015)
putit,Ahmed’sargumentisthatthenewmaterialismisa,
bodyofthoughtthatcontainsaprogressnarrativethataimstomovebeyond
pastfeministfailings,agesturethatenablesitsself-promotionasanovelbrand
andgenerationof(feminist)interventionweddedtoaparticularvisionof
matter’stransformativepotential(2015:128)3.
Iwillreturntotheissuesofprogressandhowfeministtheorymayaccountforboth
endorsementsandcritiquesofparticularturnsbelow.Here,Iwanttonotethatstruggles
overturnsinfeministtheoryarenotconfinedtoaffectandthenewmaterialisms.
Discussingthelinguisticturn,KathleenCanning(1994)arguesthat,althoughoften
overlooked,feministhistoryhadasimportantaroleastheworkofFoucault,Derrida
andLacan(1994:370)in‘[t]hedecenteringoftheWesternwhitemalesubjectandthe
reformulationofsubjectivityasasiteofunityandconflict’(1994:371).Similarly,froma
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feministperspective,FrancesE.Mascia-Lees,PatriciaSharpeandColleenBallerino
Cohen(1989)cautionagainstthepostmodernistturninanthropology,arguingthat:
whatappeartobenewandexcitinginsightstothosenewpostmodernist
anthropologists–thatcultureiscomposedofseriouslycontestedcodesof
meaning,thatlanguageandpoliticsareinseparable,andthatconstructingthe
“other”entailsrelationsofdomination–areinsightsthathavereceivedrepeated
andrichexplorationinfeministtheoryforthepastfortyyears(1989:11).
InwaysthatresonatewithAhmed’sargument,then,bothCanningandMascia-Leesetal
seektore-assertthesignificanceofpreviousandseeminglydisregardedfeministwork
inestablishingatheoreticalturn,orinalreadyinquiringintotheissuesthatcometobe
posedas‘newandexciting’inaturn4.Furthermore,whatcanalsobediscernedintheir
argumentsareconnectionsbetweenwhatispositedas‘new’and‘old’,whatis
overlookedorsidelinedwithinaturn,andwhatmakesaturn‘controversial’(1994:
370)and‘uneasy’(1994:369)fromafeministperspective.5
Thetemporalitiesoffeministturns
Debatesaboutwhatis‘new’and‘old’inatheoreticalturncanbehelpfullyunderstoodin
termsofhowthetemporalitiesoffeministtheorymorewidelyarecomprehendedand
presentedwithinfeministwork.Indeed,the‘new’and‘old’mightbeunderstoodin
termsofthethreestructuresthatHemmings(2011)arguesdominatewhatandhow
storiesaboutWesternfeministtheoryaretold.Thesestories–whichoperateaccording
tonarrativesofprogress,lossandreturn–conceivethe‘new’and‘old’differently,in
partthroughhowfeministtheoreticalworkisunderstoodinrelationtothepast,present
andfuture.Brieflyput,progressandlossnarrativesworkthroughasimilar
chronologicaltemporalitybutdisagreeonhowtounderstandandrelatetothepastand
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present.Inprogressnarratives,thepastis‘temporallysecured’intermsofsameness,
singularityandsimplicityincontrasttothepresentasdifference,multiplicityand
complexity(2011:36).Thistrajectoryoperatesthroughan‘emphasisonnewness,
transformation,andproliferation;thepresentisanexcitingtimeofpossibility,andwe
areinvitedtoexplorethis“newconceptualterrain”withappropriateattitude’(2011:
56)6.Lossnarrativesmaintainthesameapproachtothechronologyofthepastand
present(2011:61),butseektodemonstratethatfeministtheoryhasalwaysattendedto
difference,multiplicity,andhasalwaysbeencomplex–andinfactwasbetter(equipped,
oriented,organised)inthepast.
ThethirdstoryHemmingsidentifiesofferstoreconcilethefeministsubjectsofprogress
andlossnarrativesthroughareturntowhatisframedasanissueinthepastthat‘we’or
‘they’canallagreeisimportantandinneedofrevisiting:materialism.Interestinglyfor
myfocushere,Hemmingsexplainsthisnarrativewithreferencetotheculturalturn.
Prevalentlargelyfromthe2000sonwards(2011:99),thereturnnarrativeindicates
thatmaterialismmayeitherrefertoareturntosocialreality–namelysocialinequality
–ortoscience,biologyandthenon-human,aswiththenewmaterialisms;bothareasof
inquirythatproponentsofthereturnnarrativearguehavebeen(differently)occluded
bythe‘textualplay’oftheculturalturn.Ineithercase,Hemmingsarguesthatthe‘return
narrativeispredictedon,indeedenacts,atemporalityinwhichtheculturalturnis,or
mustbe,leftbehind’(2011:104);theculturalturnisover,and‘[w]oundedbutbrave
feministmaterialistsofbothkindscanthusemergetriumphanttogreetthenewdawn’
(2011:109).
Hemmingshighlightstheimportanceofchronologyineachofthesestructuresof
Westernfeministstorytelling.Insomeways,thesethreedistinctmodesofstorytelling
assumeandworkviaalineartemporality,inthatwhiletheyallhavedifferent
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relationshipstothepast,presentandfutureoffeministtheory,thepast,presentand
futureneverthelessareseentounfoldintoeachother.Indeed,Hemmingsexplicates
thesethreestoriesthroughthewaysdifferenttheoreticalconcernsandstylesare
attributedtospecificdecades,whichfollowonfromeachother,albeitnotnecessarilyin
asmoothmanner(2011:5).However,thesethreestoriesmayalsobeunderstoodas
demonstratinghowthetemporalityoffeministtheoryisnotlinear,orstraightforward.
Whileanon-lineartemporalitymightbemostimmediatelyclearinthestoriesofloss
andreturn–inthatasstoriestheyhighlight,differently,thesalienceof‘thepast’of
feministtheoryandhencerequireidentificationwithorreturntoatemporalitythatis
notpresent–itisalsoevidentintheprogressnarrative.Theprogressstoryappearsto
workchronologically;butitalsoindicatesapotentialdisruptiontoatemporalitythat
advanceslinearlyfromthepasttopresenttofuture.Hemmingsarguesthatthe‘shiftsin
timeandapproach’oftheprogressstory‘transformratherthanmerelyaddstoexisting
approaches,deconstructsandmovesbeyondaswellasforward’(2011:35).In
transforming,deconstructingandmovingbeyondexistingapproaches,theprogress
narrativethereforedoesnot(only)involveasmoothevolution:whatthe‘new’,‘old’,
past,presentandfutureare,andhowtheyareunderstood,arenotinstablerelationsto
eachother,totheoreticalturns,ortofeministtheorists.
Suchanunderstandingofthenon-linearityofthedevelopmentoffeministtheorymay
beidentifiedinotherengagementswithandcritiquesoffeministprogress.Forexample,
argumentsthatfeminismhasbeensosuccessfulthatitisnow‘repudiated’andcastas
nolongerneeded(McRobbie2008),pointtoaneedtorevivefeministtheoryand/orto
maintainanattentiontohowitisstillneeded.Feministtheoryis,then,atthesametime,
‘over’,ongoing,andinneedofrefreshing.Analysingsomeofthesetemporalitiesof
feministtheory,LisaAdkins(2004)arguesthatfeministtheoryisoftenseentoworkvia
alogicofreproductionacrossgenerations,andidentifiesconcernwithhowthis
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reproductionhasfailed,withyoungerwomenseenas‘refusingtoinherittheirfeminist
legacies’(2004:430).Shearguesthatthisnotionoffailurerelies‘onreproductive
narrativeswherebyalinearchronologicaltimeisassumed’(2004:428);‘becausethe
presentandthefuturearenotbeingshapedbythepast,feminismmust(andcanonly)
bedeclaredaspassedaway’(2004:429).Here,then,youngwomenarepositionedas
‘thenew’inaproblematicway.
However,AdkinstakesupquestionsposedbyJudithRoof:
Whatifweperceivedtimenotaslinearor[…]generationalbutas
multidirectional?Whatifweunderstandnarrativeasrepetition,alternation,
oscillation[…]?Whatifcauseandeffectcangobothways?Whatifactionand
thoughtareagiftthatexpectnoreturnandcreatenodebt?(Roof1997:87,cited
inAdkins2004:431).
Adkins’responsetothesequestionsistoseefeminismasinareflexiverelationshipwith
boththesocialandepistemological.Thatis,feminismisinadynamicandchanging
relationshipwiththesocialworld,whichitexaminesandintervenesin,andthe
theoreticalframeworksthroughwhichitsargumentsareproducedandcontextualized
(2004:434).Assuch,feminismisalsoinareflexiverelationshipwithtime;temporality
isitselfreflexiveandmultidirectionalratherthanlinear.Accordingtothisapproach,itis
onlypossibletosuggestthatfeminismhaspassed,andthatyoungwomen–as‘thenew’
–havefailedfeminism,iffeminismisunderstoodtooperateaccordingtoalinear
chronology.
Turnsandsurfaces,surfacingturns
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Thepurposesoftheprevioussectionsweretoestablish,first,thatdebateoverfeminist
turnsisongoingandconcernsnotonlythecontentoftheturnbutalsothedirectionin
whichtheturnisseenastakingfeministtheory,andsecond,thatinexaminingand
tellingthestoriesofthetrajectoriesoffeministtheory,feministtheoryhaspointedto
theimportanceofunderstandingfeminismintermsofnon-lineartemporality.In
discussingthesevariouspositions,then,whatbecomesclearisthattherehasbeenand
thereremainsstrugglewithinfeministtheoryoverwhatfeministtheory‘is’,‘was’,might
orshouldbe.Suchstruggleisamplifiedinandthroughdebatesabouttheoreticalturns,
asturnshighlightmomentsatwhichfeministtheoryismovinginparticulardirections,
forgoodorforill.Itisonthesepointsaboutthemovementanddiversityoffeminist
theory–intensifiedindebateaboutfeministturns–thatIsuggestthataconceptionof
thesurfacemightbehelpfullyintroduced.
Asindicatedabove,withinsocialandculturaltheorythesurfaceiscurrentlybeing
proposedasameanstounderstandprocessandopen-endedness,non-linearityand
mobilities7.Suchworkchallengeshowthesurfacehasconventionallybeenopposedto,
andseenassuperficialinrelationto,depth(forexampleinsomecritiquesof
postmodernism;Jameson1984),andhaspositedthesurfaceasontological.For
example,IslaForsyth,HaydenLorimer,PeterMerrimanandJamesRobinsonarguethat
focusingonthesurface‘trouble[s]theontologicalprinciplethatwouldhavesurfacesas
primarilyconstitutiveofexternalformsandboundedstates’(2013:1018),andask
aboutthe‘ontologicalstatussurfacesareafforded’(2013:1013).AdkinsandCeliaLury
suggestthatinordertounderstandachangingsocialworld,thereis,
aneedtoredefinetherelationsbetweenontologyandepistemology,andin
particularaproblematisationofsurface-depthmodelsthatisarticulatedin
historicalunderstandingsofrepresentationinrelationto,forexample,
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hermeneutics,translation,conceptformation,involvementofpublics,andsoon
(2009:15).
Inparticular,theypointouthowthesocialis(in)astateofbecoming(itis‘open,
processual,non-linear,andonthemove’)andthatthearrangementandco-ordinationof
thisnewsocial
doesnottakeplaceinrelationtoanexternallyfixedspace,thatisaspacein
whichepistemologyis‘above’,‘behind’or‘beyond’ontology,butinrelationtoa
surfaceinwhichtheco-ordinatingaxesorcategoriesofknowingareimplanted,
producingaspaceofpossiblestates(2009:18).
ForAdkinsandLuryandForsythetal,thesurfacebecomesameansofunderstanding
thesocial,spatialandtemporal8,andhowa‘spaceofpossiblestates’iscoordinated.Itis
inthesetwowaysthatIthinkthesurfacemightbehelpfulforexploringfeminist
theoreticalturns.Iwanttosuggestthataturnbeunderstoodintermsofasurface;or,
putslightlydifferently,thataturnbesurfaced.
Ifturnsareapproachedconceptually,theymightbeunderstoodastheevolutionor
progressionoffeministtheory.Liketheperhapsmorefamiliartropeoffeministwaves,
turnsmightbethoughtofasindicatingflowandevolution(thefirstwaverollingintothe
secondwave,forexample;theculturalturnflowingintotheaffectiveornewmaterialist
turn).However,whilewavescertainlysignalachangeoffocusandgenerate
contestationandstruggle,asIhavediscussed,forcriticsinparticular,turnsseemto
suggestaruptureorbreakinthecontentandtrajectoryoffeministtheory;aturning
awayfromormakingpastofcertainthings(histories,issues,politics,subjects)inthe
turntowardsotherthings.Indeed,ingeneraldictionarydefinitions,turnsareexplained
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asachangeofdirection,thefollowingofadifferentcourse,orthealteringoffocus.9
However,Iwanttosuggestthatinsurfacingaturn,itispossibletounderstandthatturn
notsomuchasabreakorrupturebutrather,inAdkinsandLury’sterms,asasiteof
‘possiblestates’.
Therearetworeasonsforthissurfacingofaturn.Oneistoattempttotakeseriously
bothendorsementsandcritiquesoftheoreticalturns–thatis,toattendtodebatesabout
theoreticalturns.AsIhavesuggested,debateandstruggleiscrucialtothepoliticsand
ethicsoffeministtheory.Ifanaimoffeministtheoryisnottodampendebatebuttotake
it(ititselfandthepointsitraises)seriously,inwhatspiritmightthedifference
indicatedindebatesaboutfeministturnsbeapproachedandconceived?Drawing
throughAdkinsandLury’sconceptionofthesurfaceasasiteof‘possiblestates’,what
wouldbeinvolvedinseeingdebatesaboutafeministtheoreticalturnasanindicationof
thepossiblestatesoffeministtheory?Howmightdebatesaboutaturnoccupyone
surface?Thesecondreasonforsuggestingasurfacingoffeministtheoreticalturnsisto
takeseriouslythenon-linearityoffeministtheory.Ifneitherevolutionnorruptureisan
appropriatemeansofunderstandingthemovementanddevelopmentoffeminist
theory,howmightthesurfacebeabletoaccountforthetemporalitiesoffeministtheory
thatareinRoof’sterms,‘multidirectional’andinvolve‘repetition,alternation,
oscillation’?Howmightthevariouspasts,presentsandfuturesimaginedforfeminist
theorythatarehighlightedindebatesaboutturnsbeunderstood,mappedandco-
ordinated?
Toaddressthesequestionsandexplorethepotentialutilityofthesurfaceforconceiving
feministtheory,andfeministturnsmorespecifically,therestofthearticleisorganised
aroundaseriesoffiveindicativeissues,termsandideasthathavebeguntoemergein
thediscussionsofar:(i)reflexivity,or,areformulationoftherelationshipbetween
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ontologyandepistemology;(ii)possibility,orthenon-lineartrajectoriesoffeminist
theory;(iii)lines,oraccountingforthenon-lineartrajectoriesoffeministtheory;(iv)
knots,orthetyingtogetherofnon-lineartrajectoriesinfeministtheory,andaccounting
forwhatofatheoreticalturnisseenasparticularlyimportant;and(iv)diagrams,or
accountingforthecoordinationofasurface.Whilethesesectionsinter-relate(or,better,
inKarenBarad’s(2007)terms,intra-act),theydonotnecessarilydevelopsmoothlyon
fromeachother.Rather,followingthroughtheconceptionoftemporalitydevelopedso
far,theyconnectinwaysthataremultidirectional,andtheytakeofffrom,repeat(with
difference)andoscillatebetweeneachother.
Reflexivity,orareformulationoftherelationshipbetweenontologyand
epistemology
OneofthecharacteristicsoftheturntothesurfacethatAdkinsandLurydescribeisa
reconfiguringoftherelationshipbetweenepistemologyandontology.ForAdkinsand
Lury,inordertounderstandopen-endedness,process,non-linearityandmovementor
mobility,itisnecessarytobothseethat,andtodevelopan,epistemology(that)isnot
‘“above”,“behind”or“beyond”ontology’butisembeddedor‘implanted’withinit.To
begintounpackthisidea,itishelpfultoreturntohowdebatesaboutfeministturns
highlightthatfeministtheoryisinterestednotonlyincontent,butalsoinhowturns
movefeministtheoryinparticulardirections.Inotherwords,feministtheoryis
concernednotonlywiththeworld(empiricalortextual,past,presentorfuture)thatis
somehow‘outthere’,butalsowithitself,withthemovementsandtrajectoriesof
feministtheory.InAdkins’terms,feminismistherefore‘shift[ing]fromaformof
politicalconsciousnessconstitutedbysubjectsreflectingonsocioempiricalobjects–a
politicalconsciousnessconstitutedbyanexternalreflexivity–toaself-consciousness
characterizedbyaselforinternalreflexivity’(2004:433).
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Feministtheorymightthereforebeunderstoodintermsofthesurfaceinthatthereisa
changingrelationshipbetweenfeministtheory,knowledgeproduction,andthe
empirical(and/ortextual)world.TheshiftdocumentedbyAdkinsinthequotation
immediatelyabove,indicatesthatfeminismoperatesnotonlyintermsofarelationship
betweenepistemologyandontology,wherefeministtheoryisunderstoodas
epistemological,andthesocioempiricalasontological;thatis,feministtheoryisnotonly
interestedin‘socioempiricalobjects’.Instead,feministtheoryhasdevelopeda
relationshipwith,ora‘self-consciousness’about,itself,sothatfeministtheoryisboth
epistemologicalandontological.Moreover,toreturntoAdkins’argumentdiscussed
furtherabove,itisnotonlywithitselfthatfeministtheoryhasareflexiverelationship;it
isalsowiththe‘socioempirical’.AsAdkinsargues,‘ratherthanaspectator,feminismis
implicatedinandisco-determinouswiththerapidtransformationsofculturaland
sociallife’(2004:441),andthus‘adistinctionbetweenself-reflexivityandthesocialis
difficulttomaintain’(2004:434).Feministtheoryisnot(only)anepistemology–away
ofknowingtheworld–butisalsoontologicalinitsimbricationinthebecomingofthose
worlds.
Possibility,orthenon-lineartrajectoriesoffeministtheory
Inordertodevelopthisideaofthereflexivityofthesurface,itishelpfultoremember
thatinthedebatesaboutthemovementsthatfeministturnsindicateorgenerate,the
‘new’and‘old’or‘past’areseenasparticularlyproblematicorgenerative.Forcriticsof
particularturns,‘thenew’servestocastotherissues,positionsandpoliticsaspast,over
or‘alreadydealtwith’(Hemmings2005:561).Atthesametime,andoftenindirect
engagementwiththesedebatesaboutturns,arangeofperspectiveshavesoughtto
showhowalinearmodeloftemporalityisinappropriateinunderstandingthetrajectory
offeministtheory.Inmyreadingoftheseperspectives,feministtheorydoesnot
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progresssmoothly,andiscapableofneitherreturningtoormovingonfrom/beyondan
agreeduponpast.Itcannotbereproducedorpassedonacrossorbetweengenerations
asifeitherthesegenerationsorfeminismitselfarestableentities.Indeed,respondingto
similarargumentsthatAdkinsidentifiesaboutthe‘passingaway’offeminism,Beverley
Skeggs(2008)refusesthe‘storyof“failedreproduction”’andinsteadpositsfeminist
theoryintermsofa‘dirtyhistory’(2008:684).Feministtheoryisnotlinearbutrather
isastoryof‘extraordinaryreplication’(2008:684);‘ofde-andre-inscription,ofde-and
re-territorialisation,ofastruggleoverthepoliticsofknowledge’(2008:684).Ina
differentmode,butengagingwithmanysimilarissues,IrisvanderTuinhascarefully
analysedagenerationallogicwithinfeministtheory,anddevelopedanotionofa
‘generationalfeminism’wherechangewithinandbetweenfeministtheories(for
examplebetweensecondandthirdwaves)isunderstoodinanon-conflictual,non-
dialectical,non-linearway;asgenerative,replicatingand/orjumping(2009,2015).
Feministtheorymaythereforebeunderstoodintermsof‘reflexivity’notonlyinitsself-
consciousnessandrelationshipwiththesocial,butalsointermsofitsnon-linear
trajectoriesandmovements.Thisisimportantintermsofthe‘reflexive’,‘non-linearand
non-Euclidean’logic(2009:16)thatAdkinsandLurysuggestcharacterisesthesurface.
Indeed,oneofthewaysAdkinsandLuryseethereconfigurationoftherelationship
betweenepistemologyandontologyisthat,throughthe‘implantation’of‘co-ordinating
axesorcategoriesofknowing’intoorontothesurface,‘aspaceofpossiblestates’is
produced(2009:18).Putanotherway,therelationshipbetweenepistemologyand
ontologyiscollapsedorblurredsothatratherthanbeingexternaltothatwhichitseeks
tounderstandandcreateknowledgeabout,epistemologyis‘implanted’intoontology.
Ontologyandepistemologyareonandofthesamesurface.AdkinsandLurydescribe
thissurfaceasa‘topologicalspaceofallthepossiblestatesthatasystemcanhave’
(2009:16).Topologyhererefersbothtothecapacityofasurfaceto‘contain’orinduce
17
‘allthepossiblestatesthatasystemcanhave’,and,inMikeMichaelandMarsha
Rosengarten’sterms,howasurfaceenablesan‘attempttocaptureheterogeneous
relationsandexchanges.Thingsthatareseeminglydistant[…]turnouttobefarmore
promiscuousandcanbeshowntobeinfarcloserproximitythanonemightinitially
imagine’(2012:104).
Asurfaceisthereforeasitecomposedthroughandonwhichmultipleandpotentially
diverseentitiesorstatesmay(be)assemble(d).Inthecaseoffeministtheoreticalturns,
asurfacemightbeasiteonwhich(variouspossibleversionsof)thepast,presentand
futureassembleandarearranged.Anunderstandingoffeministtheoreticalturnsin
termsofthesurfacemaythereforebeameanstotakeseriouslyproponentsand
opponentsofaparticularturn.Thatis,throughasurfacingoffeministtheoreticalturns,
debatesandstrugglesaboutthe‘possiblestates’offeministtheoryareorcanbe
assembledtogetherwithinorononesurface.Itmayalsobeameansofthinkingabout
the‘new’,‘old’,past,presentandfutureasnon-linear,multidirectionaltemporalities.
Thatis,ifthesurfaceisa‘promiscuous’sitewherenotonly‘heterogeneous’butalso
‘seeminglydistant’thingsmightbe‘infarcloserproximitythanonemightimagine’,it
followsthatwhatmightbedesignatedasfarapartinlinearmodelsoftimemightbe
contiguous.Conceivedassuch,afeministtheoreticalturnmightnotsomuchbea
movementawayfromsomeissuesandtowardsothers,butasurfaceonwhichdifferent
possibletemporalitiesexistatthesametime,andare(made)proximate–ornot.
Lines,oraccountingforthenon-lineartrajectoriesoffeministtheory
Inconceivingfeministtheoreticalturnsintermsofthesurface,anumberofquestions
areraised,includingwhichdebatesandstrugglesareparticularlyintensewithinaturn,
whichversionsoffeministpasts,presentsandfuturesbecomedominant,andhow
potentiallydivergentpositionsandargumentsarecoordinatedorarranged.Inseeinga
18
turnasasurfacethatcontainsand/orprovokes‘allthepossiblestates’ofthesystemof
feministtheory,atheoreticalturncanbeunderstoodasasurfaceonwhichdifferent
linesofargumentationbecomeassembled10.
Totakeoneexampleofananalysisofandinterventioninafeministtheoreticalturn,
inanarticletitled‘The(f)utilityofafeministturntoFoucault’,MoyaLloyd(1993)
pointsoutthatsomefeministtheoristsarguethat‘Foucauldiangenealogycannot
illuminatesystematicallyunequalpowerrelations’(1993:435).Throughhercareful
analysisofbothproponentsandopponentsofafeministFoucauldianturn,Lloydnotes
that‘powerisacontestedconceptwithinfeminism’and‘thattherelationofthesubject
topowerisproblematizedbyanyproposedrecoursetoFoucault’(1993:441);anissue
thatisseenas‘mostpressing’for‘theorisingpatriarchy’(1993:442).Lloydagreeswith
feministcriticsthatFoucaultdoesnotexplicitlyconsidersexedandgenderedpower,but
mobilisesFoucault’sconceptionofbio-powertoofferanunderstandingof‘patriarchyas
aparticularhistoricalconfigurationofpowerrelations,withoutcommonorigin’(1993:
444)and,intheprocess,‘tochallenge,orindeedprovoke,[…]aseriousreflectionupon,
andpotentialrethinkingof,themeaningof“patriarchy”’(1993:445).
Lloyd’sanalysisandargumentdemonstratehowlinesofargumentationconcernedwith
whatmightbetermedthe‘old’or‘alreadydealtwith’(Hemmings2005:561)exist
withinthefeministturntoFoucaultatthesametimeaslinesconcernedwithwhat
mightbetermed‘thenew’.Thatis,linesofargumentationthatarefocusedonhow
patriarchylocateswomeninunequalpowerrelationsare,forLloyd,atstakeinany
feministFoucauldianturnatthesametimeaslinesofargumentationthatseekto
‘challenge,orindeedprovoke’athinkingthroughofwhatpatriarchy,asacategory,
means.Indeed,Lloydremarksthat,‘whileadmittedlydisruptiveofcertainfeministways
oftheorizing’,aturntoFoucault‘couldalsobepositivetofeminism’,and‘intensely
19
provocativeandpotentiallyproductive’(1993:457).Here,Lloydtakesupapositionthat
mightbecharacterizedasonthesideof‘thenew’,inthatshearguesforarethinkingof
patriarchy(‘old’)throughFoucault’sconceptofbiopower(‘new’).However,this
rethinkingmightbeunderstoodnotsomuchasaturningawayfrompatriarchybut,asI
discussbelow,aturningoverofit.Thepointhereis,understoodintermsofasurface,in
thisparticulardiscussionofthefeministturntoFoucault,multiplelinesof
argumentation(past,present,‘old’,‘new’)existatthesametime,andthingsthatmight
becastasoveraccordingtoalinearmodeloftime(suchaspatriarchy),are(brought)
proximate(to)thingsthatare‘new’(biopower).
Knots,orthetyingtogetherofnon-lineartrajectoriesoffeministtheory,and
accountingforwhatofatheoreticalturnisseenasparticularlyimportant
Whilelinesindicatehowdiverseargumentsmayexistatthesametimeonasurface,
theymightalsobeahelpfulconceptualdevicetoexaminehowsomelinesofargument
becomeknotted,perhapsaroundaparticularproblem.Afterall,indebatesaboutaturn,
linesofargumentationnotonlyexistatthesametime,butgettiedtogetherinparticular
ways.SophieDay,CeliaLuryandNinaWakeforddescribeknotsascapableof‘hold[ing]
togetherallkindsofreciprocalrelationshipsandstories’(2014:142)andas‘involv[ing]
somekindofloopingbywhichfasteningisachievedwithinmovement’(2014:141).11
Knotsherethen,canrefertoatetheringtogether,inamoreorlesssecureway,ofmulti-
directional,changinganddiversefeministtrajectoriesinoraroundaparticularturn.At
thesametime,andperhaps(althoughnotalways),howlinesgettiedtogetherindicates
aparticularlysignificantissue;orwhatmightalsobereferredtoasa‘knottyproblem’.
Intheaboveexample,Lloyd’sconcernwithpatriarchymightbeseeninthisway.
Thefirstsenseoftheknotseekstoaccountforhowaturnsignalsaparticular
movementoffeministtheory.WhileIhavesuggestedthat,understoodintermsofa
20
surface,suchmovementsandalterationsindirectionarecapableofexistingatthesame
time‘within’aparticularsite(i.e.thatwhichmaybecastaspastaccordingtoalinear
modeloftimeexistsasa‘possiblestate’accordingtothenon-linearityofthesurface),it
isneverthelessimportanttoconsiderhowdebatesaboutturnsaredebatesaboutthe
orientationsanddirectionsoffeministtheory;theyarestrugglesoverwhatlinesof
argumentationarecarriedthrough,andwhatseemoflesssignificance.Whilean
understandingofturnsthroughalinearmodeloftimemightseemovementswithin
feministtheoryasevolutionorforgetting,intermsofthenon-linearunderstandingof
thetemporalitiesofturnsIamdevelopinghere,aturnindicatesatwisting,twirlingor
loopingofpotentiallydiverselinesofargumentation.
Indebatesabouttheaffectiveturn,forexample,thereisstruggleabouthowlinesof
argumentationdevelopedinspecificdisciplinarycontextsaretiedtogether;theseare
importantinbringingtoattentionthespecificitiesofparticularlinesofargumentation,
aswellastoathinkingthroughofwhetherandhowitispossibletosecureandstablise
(evenifonlytemporarily)potentiallydiverselinesofargumentationintheserviceof
anotherargument–andintheserviceofafeministpolitics.Forinstance,RuthLeys
arguesthatsomeculturaltheoriestakeup‘afalsepictureofhowthemindrelatestothe
body’(2011:456-7)thatisapparentinsomescientificworkonaffect,contributingto
whatsheseesasmisreadingsofscienceinculturaltheory.Herpositionwouldseemto
suggestthatlinesofargumentationdevelopedinscienceneedtobeseparatedfrom,or
attheveryleasttakenupwithgreatcautionin,culturaltheory.Inherworkonempathy
astransnationalaffectiverelations,CarolynPedwellarguesthat‘whentranslated
throughthelensofcriticaltheory,neuroscientificperspectivescanaddaproductive
element[…]toourunderstandingofempatheticengagementandrelatednetworksof
feeling’(2014:5).Tounderstandthecomplexwaysempathyoperatesasaffective
relations,arangeofapproachesarerequired.ForLeysandPedwell,then,howlinesof
21
argumentationdevelopedinscienceandculturaltheoryshouldbetakenupandtied
togetherdiffer;debateoverthecontentanddirectionoftheoreticalturnshighlights
whetherandhowlinesofargumentationbecomeknotted.Insuggestingthesurfacingof
feministturnsthen,Iamnotproposingtoflattenoutdebate;surfacesaretexturedand
patterned(HughesandLury2013),theypercolateandinvolverifts(Michaeland
Rosengarten2012)–theyareknotty.
Knotsarealsohelpfulintermsofthinkingaboutwhatisstruggledoverindebatesabout
theoreticalturns.Ihavealreadyindicatedhowthe‘new’and‘old’emergeasparticularly
evidentinthesedebates,andhowfeministtheorymovesanddevelopsinnon-linear
ways.Inheranalysisofthestoriesthataretoldoffeministtheory,forexample,
Hemmingsnotesthesignificanceofa‘return’narrative,which‘affirm[s]acommon
presentbyaffirm[ing]asharedpast’(2011:98).However,itisalsopossibletothinkofa
theoreticalturnasareturninanotherway.Intheirarticlethatproposesafeminist
ecologicalepistemology,ChristinaHughesandCeliaLury(2013)argueforareturnto
theconceptofsituatedknowledge,developedbyDonnaHaraway(1988)amongothers
inthe1980s,asameansof‘articulatingthedynamicintra-actionsbetweenhumanand
non-humanforces’(2013:786).Theyexplainareturntosituatedknowledgenotso
muchasagoingbacktothe1980s,noranattempttosynthesisedifferentlinesof
argumentation:
Ratherthanthecurrentlyubiquitousnarrativesof‘turns’withtheirendless
twists,rupturesandsuddenencounters,suchreturnsareproductsofrepetition,
ofcomingbacktopersistenttroublings;theyareturningsover.Insuchre-
turnings,thereisnosingularorunifiedprogressivehistoryorapproachto
discover.Rather,thereistheintensityofmulti-dimensionaltrajectories,as
conceptsarede-andre-contextualised(2013:787).
22
Aswiththefeministtheoriesdiscussedabove,HughesandLurytroublean
understandingoffeministtheoryaslinear,andinsteadpointtohowitischaracterized
byandconstitutedthrough‘multi-dimensionaltrajectories’and‘repetition’.Returnsare
a‘comingbacktopersistenttroublings’,a‘de-andre-contextualis[ation]’ofconceptsso
thatimportantanddifficultproblemscanbe‘turnedover’.Whattheconcernwiththe
‘new’and‘old’offeministtheoryindicates,then,isaconcernoverwhatisseenasa
‘persistenttroubling’,andwhatisbeing‘turnedover’.ThenotionofreturnthatHughes
andLurypropose,then,drawsthroughthenotionofknotsthatIhavesuggested:a
twistingortwirling;areturningtoandofaproblem.12
Italsosuggeststhetyingtogetherofdifferentlinesofargumentationarounda
particularlyknottyproblem.IntheexampleaboveofLloyd’sarticle,bothfeminist
theoryasithasbeenconcernedwithsocialrealityandfeministFoucauldiantheory
twistaroundthe‘persistentproblem’ofpowerandgenderinequality.Thisproblemacts
asanubaroundwhich‘old’and‘new’concepts–patriarchyandbio-power–are
broughttobear.Whilethisexamplefocusesonanargumentadvocatingforaturn,an
analysisofcriticalaccountsofafeministturnmayalsodemonstratethispoint.For
example,inAhmed’scritiqueofthenewmaterialism,itmaybethatmaterialismisa
persistentproblemthatisreturnedtoandturnedoverthroughdifferentlinesof
argumentation;inAhmed’scasebyareturnto‘older’feministtheoriesofbiology,
scienceandmatter,andinnewmaterialistfeministtheoriesby‘newer’theoriesofthis
issue.Understoodintermsofasurfacingofaturn,the‘old’and‘new’,supportiveand
critical,arebroughtintoproximityinaknotaroundan–unfortunately–enduring
problem.
Diagrams,oraccountingforthecoordinationofasurface
23
Intheirexplanationofthesurface,AdkinsandLurynotethesignificanceofaconcern
withitsarrangementororganisation,suggestingthatthe‘possiblestates’ofasurface
arenotonlyproducedbutalsocoordinatedinandthroughitsprocessualnatureandits
reformulationoftherelationshipbetweenepistemologyandontology(2009:18).The
notionsoflinesandknotshighlightthenon-linearityofthesurfaceinhowdifferentlines
ofargumentationbecometiedinknotsaroundparticularknottyproblems.Inthisway,
knotsindicatenubs,hubsorhotspotsonasurface,andsodrawattentiontothetexture
andpatterningofasurface–ortowhatmightalsobeunderstoodashowasurfaceis
arrangedandcoordinated.Accountingforthearrangementandcoordinationofa
surfaceiscrucialinordertomapwhichproblemsbecomeknots/knotty,whichconcepts
becomedrawnintoproximityaroundthem,whichlinesofargumentationaredrawn
through,andwhichfadeoraredropped.Thatis,anaccountofthearrangementand
coordinationofasurfaceistotakeseriouslydebatesaboutaturnandtomapthepower
relationsofthatsurface/surfacing.
Forexample,torevisitLloyd’s1993articleabouttheproductivenessofaFoucauldian
turnforfeministtheory,in2015itmayindeedseemthattheconceptofbio-power
becameparticularlyhelpfulinunderstandinggenderedinequalityandpowerrelations,
and,withtheculturalturnandthenewmaterialistturn,thattheconceptofpatriarchy,
withitsrootsinamaterialismbasedinandonsocialreality,becamelesshelpful.
Mappingthesurfaceofaturncanthereforetellachronologicalhistoryofthe
developmentoffeministtheory–whichtheoriesandconceptsbecomeimportantwhen,
andwithwhateffectsonothertheoriesandconcepts?Inthissense,mappingisaproject
oftrackingortracinglines,andtheircoagulationintoknots.However,mappingmay
haveamoredynamicsense.NannaVerhoeff,forexample,hasdesignatedaperformative
cartography–creative,evolvingandemergentthroughmovement(2012:145),where
‘timeandspaceunfoldinpracticesandconsequentlydonotworkalongpredetermined
24
lines’(2012:146).Verhoeff’sunderstandingofmappingisalsoechoedinJoeGerlach’s
(2014)conceptof‘vernacularmapping’,whichseekstoaccountfor‘thenearly-there
materialitiesofcartography;thenon-representationalcoordinatesofmaps;affectand
thevirtual’(2014:23).
Theconceptofthediagramisonemeansthroughwhichthismappingmightbe
achieved.Indeed,inexplainingDeleuze’sconceptionofthediagramanditsrelationwith
mapping,JakubZdebikarguesthatwhile‘tracing’or‘tracking’movementisoneofthe
necessaryfunctionsofthediagram,itisnotitsonlyone:
Tracing,althoughnecessary,cannotofferanythingnewtothoughtbecauseits
functionistocopyandrepresentwhatisalreadythere.Themapontheother
hand–andherethemapistakenawayfromtheclassicalmodel,butwithout
losingtheclassicalspiritthatinducedit–isanexplorationdevice,something
thatdoesnotimitatebutthatconstantlyexplorestheunknown(Zdebik2014:
34).
Mapping–ordiagramming–isinthissenseactive;transformational,emergent,
creative.Asan‘explorationdevice’,diagramsareameansofmappingnotonlywhatis,
butalsowhatmightbe:the‘possiblestates’thatmightexiston/asasurface.Intermsof
thesurfacingoffeministtheoreticalturns,thismightbetomakeconnectionsbetween
differentlinesofargumentation,andtobringintoproximityconceptsthatmight
otherwisebeplacedatmutuallyexclusivepositionsonalineartimeline.Accordingto
thesuggestionaboutsurfacingfeministtheoreticalturnsthatIhavemade,mappingthe
surfaceofaturnmayalsoenableanunderstandingandanalysisofthenon-linear
temporalitiesoffeministtheory.Forexample,areturningofdebatesaboutthe
Foucauldianturninfeministtheorymightdiagramthe‘old’issueofpatriarchyas
25
important,andhence,asI’vesuggested,mightbringpatriarchyintoproximitywiththe
‘new’conceptofbio-power.ThesurfaceoftheFoucauldianturnismappednotonly
linearlyand/orchronologically,butisalsocoordinatednon-linearlythroughlinesand
knots.
Further,AdkinsandLurypointtothediagramasanon-representationalsignwhere
calculationandindexationare‘nolongerdeterminedbyanexternal“set”[…]butbya
processofdeformationandmodificationofdiagramsthemselves’(2009:17).Of
significancehereisthecapacityofdiagramstobeself-determining,sothatepistemology
isnotexternaltothediagrambutthatthediagramisabletomodifyitself.Co-ordination
ofasurfaceisnotexternalbutreflexiveandwithinorimmanenttothesurface.Taking
upthisimmanenceandreflexivityofadiagram,thosewithinadebateaboutafeminist
turnareatonceinducingtheturnandlayingouttheircoordinatesofandforit.The
flexibilityofthediagramasamappingdevicesuggeststhatthecontours,lines,knots
and‘possiblestates’ofasurfacewilldiffer,orbespecifictotheparticularposition(s),
tradition(s)andtrajectory/iesafeministtheoryis‘in’.Importantly,thisisnottoseea
feministtheoristasinanexternal(orunreflexive)positiontothetheoreticalturn–nor
indeed,tonecessarilyprioritisethehumansubject13.AsHughesandLurynote,intheir
returntosituatedknowledge,‘situatedness’isunderstood‘notasapositionoran
identity,butasemergentinthediverseprocessesofdifferentiation,thepatternsof
movement,thatconstitutethemovingsurfaceorgroundoffiguresofknowledge’(2013:
792).Feministtheorists–andthehumanandnon-humanmaterialsthathelptocreate
hertheories–areembeddedwithinthe‘movingsurface’ofaturn.Asan‘exploration
device’,thediagramisthuscapableofmappingoutthecoordinationofthesurfaceofa
theoreticalturninvarious,situatedways,highlightingnon-lineartemporalitiesand
connectivities,andperformingandtransformingfeministtheoryintheprocess.
26
Surfacingfeministtheoreticalturns:Concludingcomments
Asthispapertakesupandisinvolvedinwhatiscalleda‘turntothesurface’,Iwantto
recognizethatthisturn,andtheindicativesuggestionsmadehere,maythemselves
generatetheirowndebate.Thatis,itisimportanttonotethatIaminsomesenses
proposinga(further)turnin,toandforfeministtheory–onethatattemptstoattendto
thesalienceofanddebatesaroundturnsthemselves.However,Ialsowanttopointout
thataturntothesurfaceisnotanattempttosettleongoingdebatesaboutepistemology
andontology,(non-)lineartemporalitiesandspatialities,orpersistenttroublings.
Rather,inHughesandLury’sterms,theturntothesurfacemaybeturnings-overof
theseissues;returnstodebatesaboutthem.
Moreparticularly,insuggestingthatfeministtheoreticalturnsbeunderstoodinterms
of(aturnto)thesurface,itisimportanttonotethatIamnotarguingthatthesurfaceis
ameanstoresolvethedebatesandstrugglesaboutfeministtheoreticalturns;sucha
taskwouldbemisguidedinignoringhowtherearefeminismsratherthanfeminism,and
how,asI’vediscussed,debateandstruggleareintegraltofeminism,andindeedany
politicalandethicalmovement.NoramIproposingthesurfaceasameansofnecessarily
ensuringgreaterinclusionwith/infeministtheory.Oneaspectofmyargumentisthata
surfaceiscapableofincorporatingmultipleandpotentiallydiversetheories–itisasite
of‘possiblestates’–andinthiswayitisameansofaccountingforpositionsthatcritics
ofparticularturnsargueareexcluded.However,atthesametime,Iammindfulofthe
potentialforinclusiontocollapseintowhat,intheiranalysisofkeyfeministarticlesand
specialissuesonintersectionality,MariaCarbinandSaraEdenheimpointoutisan
erasureofpowerrelations.CarbinandEdenheimproposethattheiranalysisshowsthat
the‘intersectionalturn’infeministtheoryischaracterizedbyalackofdebate.They
arguethat‘thereisnosuchcontestation[aboutintersectionality]goingon,itisonly
statedthatthereareconflicts,butwithoutanyreferencestosuchdebates’(2013:239-
27
240).Fortheseauthors,thislackofdebate,aswellasamoregeneral‘theoretical
vagueness’,hasledintersectionalitytheorytobea‘consensus-creatingsignifierthatnot
onlymadetheconcept[ofintersectionality]successfulbutalsoenabledan
institutionalizationofaliberal“all-inclusive”feminismbasedonadenialofpoweras
constitutiveforallsubjects(andnon-subjectsalike)’(2013:234)14.Inintroducinga
‘turntothesurface’,Iamsuggestingitneitherasaturnthatnecessarilysolvesthe
problemofexclusion,norpresentingitas,inCarbinandEdenheim’sterms,‘thefeminist
theory’(2013:245)where‘“everyone”feelsthatitfits“theirwayofdoingresearch”’
(2013:245).
Insuggestingthesurfaceasameanstounderstandthetemporalitiesoffeministtheory,
whatIamindicatingisthatasa‘space[andtime]ofpossiblestates’,nothingis
necessarilyprecludedon,in,orforasurface.However,itisalsotomap–
diagrammatically–thelinesandknotsofthesepossiblestatesinordertoattendtothe
powerrelationsofasurface.Thisistotakeseriouslylinesofargumentationthatboth
proposeandopposeaparticularturn.Intermsoftheissueofthe‘new’and‘old’,thisis
toattendtowhatis(moststronglyput)bothattractiveandrepellantaboutaturn.Itis
totakeupfeministargumentsaboutthenon-lineartemporalitiesoffeministtheories
andtoconsiderhowtheoreticalturnsseemtohighlightsuchnon-linearityespecially.To
paraphrase–orreturn–someofthequestionsposedbyRoof(citedinAdkins(2004:
431),itistoengagewiththe‘multidirectional’temporalitiesoffeministtheory,andto
seedebatesaboutfeministturnsasinvolvingnotsomuchprogressorloss,but
‘repetition,alternation,oscillation’.
Acknowledgements
28
ThankstoLisaAdkinsandMaryanneDeverfortheirencouragementinwritingthis
piece.ThanksalsotoAnnaHickey-Moodyforhercommentsonanearlierversion,andto
BevSkeggsforsuggestionsofsuitableliterature.
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Notes
1Thisarticleextendsashortpaperpresentedat‘Orientingfeminism(s):Feminist
“turns”andthepoliticaleconomyofknowledgeproduction’,theCentrefortheStudyof
WomenandGender,UniversityofWarwick,28thFebruary2014.Iwishtoacknowledge
andthanktheorganisers,MariadoMarPereiraandKathrynMedien,aswellasthose
whoattendedandsubmittedquestions,forprovidingtheinspirationforthislonger
article(whichmaywellproposeanunderstandingofturnsdifferenttotheirown).
33
2Foroverviewsoftheaffectiveturn,seeforexampleSeigworthandGregg2010,andof
thenewmaterialistturn,vanderTuinandDolphijn2012.
3Foramoredetaileddiscussionofthenewmaterialismasaturninfeministtheory,see
Coleman(2014).
4SeeWitz(2000)foraslightlydifferentaccountofhowthebodyisconceptualizedin
feministsociologyandsociologyinthe‘corporealturn’.
5NotablehereisthatwhileCanningandMascia-Leesetalarekeentoassertthe
importanceoffeministtheorizingtoaturnthatishappeningintheirbroaderdisciplines
(i.e.theyarenotnecessarilyconcernedwithfeminismperse),Ahmed’sargumentis
addressedtofeministtheorists,whosheseesasoverlookingpreviousfeministwork.It
isalsonotablethatwhileCanningandMascia-Leesetal’sargumentsreassertthe
significanceoffeministtheorytoturnsintheirowndisciplines,manyofthecritiquesof
theaffectiveandnewmaterialistturnsimplyanuneasewithinterdisciplinarity,as
notedabove.
6Here,then,isalinktoHemmings’critiqueoftheaffectiveturnforitsencouragementof
an‘affirmative’frameofmind;seeabove.
7Onsurfaces,seealsoIngold(2007,2010),Amato(2013)andColemanandOakley-
Brown(inpreparation).
8WhileAdkinsandLurydescribethesurfaceasspatialhere,itisalsoatemporalsite,as
Igoontodiscuss.
9DefinitionstakenfromtheMicrosoftWorddictionary,12thAugust2015.Itisalso
worthnotingthatafurtherdefinitionis‘ontheturn’;‘onthepointofgoingsour’–a
definitionwhichmaybeappropriatetothepointsmadeinsomeofthedebatesabout
theoreticalturns!
10Forotheraccountsoftherelationshipbetweenlinesandthesurface,seeIngold
(2007)andColeman(inpreparation).
11Here,theyaredrawingonKatieKing’s(2012)analysisofkhipuknots.
34
12Indeed,itisimportanttonotethatHughesandLuryproposetheknotasonetermthat
is‘designedtoillustratepotentialpracticesfordevelopingsituatedknowledges’(2013:
786).
13SeeforexampleBarad(2007)onthesignificanceof‘cuts’withinpositionalityand
boundary-makingpractices;forfurtherdiscussionsofthis,seeforexample,Hughesand
Lury(2013),Coleman(2014).
14CarbinandEdenheim’sinvestigationdemonstratesthatsuchasituationisnotso
muchtheresultofindividual,orcollectivesof,feministtheoristsbutrathera
consequenceoftheturnitself.Thatis,itistheintersectionalturninfeministtheorythat
‘hascreatedaconsensusthatconcealsfruitfulandnecessaryconflictswithinfeminism’
(2013:233).