Political Bodies/Body Politic

'Political Bodies/Body Politic' draws on feminism, gender studies, and queer theory to examine how myth, symbol and ritual express belief systems. The book explores the operation of gender in a variety of social and historical contexts, ranging from feminist speculative fiction and systems of belief to popular culture and ancient historical texts. 'Political Bodies/Body Politic' makes an original contribution to religious and feminist studies in its examination of gender in human communication and belief systems. Introduction: Topographical Excursions on Theoretical Paths 1. A Semiotics of Gender: Prolegomena 2. Feminist Encounters with Myth: Angela Carter 3. The Agon of Men: Masculinity and Warfare 4. Signifying Demons: Gender and the Ritualised Performance of Possession and Exorcism 5. Spectacles of Gender: Performing Masculinities in Ancient Rome and Modern Cinema 6. Sign-symbol and Icon: Deconstructing the Eliadean Paradigm Conclusion: Gender Ideology, Systems of Belief and Practice and Epistemology