Nancy Tuana's essay on the epistemology of ignorance explains how ignorance and knowledge are situated and can manifest in many different forms. Studying the epistemology of ignorance is necessary in order to understand the origins of the lack of knowledge. Individuals in positions of power are better able to educate others when they know whether ignorance is systematic, willful, or inevitable. Tuana covers different types of ignorance, from the most extreme: willfully denying opportunities to gain understanding, to more neutral: unawareness of lack of knowledge, to an innocent "loving ignorance:" accepting that we cannot understand everything. She uses the topic of the women's health movement and sexuality to illustrate the different forms of ignorance.
Continuing with this theme, I have found that female masturbation is a topic that has been widely ignored and stigmatized. From my experience, female masturbation is not something that ever appears in the media, and it is often a much more uncomfortable topic to discuss in social settings than male masturbation. Even though we were taught that female masturbation was "normal" in my sexual education classes in elementary school, students still thought it was weird and less natural than a male masturbating. In college, I still find that my peers are more comfortable talking about guys "jacking off" than about female self-pleasure. Using Tuana's framework, I see this ignorance as mostly under the category of "They Do Not Want Us To Know." The idea that female masturbation should be viewed differently than male masturbation is a reflection of the systematic sexual repression of women. Women who openly talk about masturbating are viewed as sexually permissive, despite the fact that they are basically doing the opposite. Tuana explains that resisting the epistemology of ignorance can be achieved through embodied experiences of self-exploration, but this newfound understanding should be used to further both individuals' knowledge of their own bodies and the general public's acceptance of female self-pleasure.
I agree with your definition of the epistemology of ignorance, as it is necessary to know where ignorance originates from in order to address it. I think your example of female masturbation and how it’s under the category of “They Do Not Want Us to Know” is spot on and very applicable today. Randomly, I have recently had conversations with friends about this very subject and how a lot of girls feel uncomfortable talking about it with each other, much less with guys. I don’t even think my school taught us about female masturbation, and it certainly didn’t come up in conversations with my friends until college. I agree with you that somewhere along the line female self-pleasure was isolated as being not the same as male masturbation, and somehow not normal. While society can openly make jokes about male masturbation, women are either called overly sexual or desperate when they mention masturbation. I hate to guess, but I assume that the creation of an environment where female masturbation is a taboo subject has allowed men to maintain power over women and their sexuality. As you point out at the end, we can only overcome this ignorance by making it a norm, first among women and our general understanding of our bodies and needs, and then in society, by openly demonstrating that it is a normal natural thing that women are allowed to do, as well as men.
ReplyDeleteTalia, I too agree with your definition on the epistemology of ignorance. In reading Nancy Tuana’s piece, I similarly came to understand that ignorance is more than mere “not knowing,” but a systematic tool used by those educated or in power. I also thought your further discussion of female masturbation was interesting. I too took a sex education equivalent class called “Decisions” in high school and recall no discussion of female masturbation. Over this past winter break, one of my female friends jokingly talked about female masturbation to which every boy at our table became apparently uncomfortable. I find it odd that in our society there is a double standard in sex where women’s sexual needs and desires are repressed and silenced while men’s needs and desires are not only fulfilled but discussed openly. I think this is another example of the binary where male perspective is the standard, while female perspective is “otherized.” I hope this is a topic we talk more about in class!!
ReplyDeleteIn terms of your actual response, I liked how you described Tuana’s categories of ignorance on a spectrum from innocent and subtle to extreme. Additionally, I enjoyed how you furthered Tuana’s discussion on the ignorance and stigma of female masturbation. Though not discussed often, it is a topic that needs to be addressed in sexual education classes and scientific forums.