Invite for VISA Episode # 10 ❤️

 

'It’s okay to have career gaps in one’s life. However, learn to appreciate and make the most of your career gaps’ ❤️

Minutes of Today’s VISA Programme

Ms. Athira Suresh Kumar

VISA Edition No. 9

Today was a rain holiday in Chennai. However, we decided to go ahead with the VISA Event scheduled for today, since we had planned for it even a month ago.

We were initially a bit skeptical about the turn-out for today, since many parts in Chennai didn’t have electricity today, and many other areas were heavily inundated because of the rains.

However, we had a very good participation (34) for today’s VISA Programme, and there were lots of insightful questions for Ms. Athira from our students and faculty alike. It was such a joy to have one of our vibrant alumna talking to us today on her experience abroad.

One particular thought that she had shared is worth mentioning. Here goes -

‘It’s okay to have career gaps in one’s life. However, learn to appreciate and make the most of your career gaps’, she said.

Yet another interesting thought that her Professor Dr. Caroline shared about her is also worth mentioning as well. Here goes -

‘I want everyone participating in this talk today, to know how Athira best utilized her time in MCC. She is a good dancer, and she topped not only in her studies but also participated in all extra-curricular activities. Even in her UG she did good research work’, she added.

Now over to the Minutes of the Meeting, by Mr. Abraham, III BA English.

Here goes - 

Ms. Athira spoke about herself and her journey from India to Luxembourg in the year 2022. Her talk focused on the opportunities in Luxembourg, with reference to the location, population and the languages spoken.

Ms. Athira mentioned Luxembourg as the world’s richest country and also presented a video clip of the country - known to preserve its ancient architecture and beauty.

She spoke on why one should choose Luxembourg, and presented the benefits such as having an international environment, free public transportation, no requirement of language tests, availing the Schengen visa and also about the easy to acquire citizenship norms of this country.

Then, Athira spoke about the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology and also about the University of Luxembourg which is the only university present in the country.

Then she described her life in Luxembourg as a Ph.D. researcher, Ph.D. completion criteria, etc., and also gave an insight on why study one should study or work abroad, about the application process and where to look for the available research projects, how to check for test requirements and the need for applying for the latest Ph.D. advertisements, scholarship opportunities, government and institutional funding, about how one can strengthen their application, challenges faced abroad and finally concluded her talk by providing the various career opportunities available post Ph.D, etc.

The talk [which had 34 participants today], was followed by a Q and A session and concluded with the vote of thanks given by Ms. Lakshmi, Global Student Ambassador.

The session began with the MC by Ms. Lakshmi, Global Student Ambassador, and the college prayer was read by Dr. Samuel Rufus, Dean of International Programmes, who also gave the welcome address.

Dr. Caroline Victoria, Associate Professor, Department of Physics (Aided) formally introduced Ms. Athira Suresh Kumar. Dr. Samuel Asirvatham, Head, Dept of Physics, and Dr. Nirmal Tyagu among others interacted with Ms. Athira.

We thank Dr. Selvakumari, for suggesting Ms. Athira Suresh Kumar for today’s programme.

We shall meet again, for the tenth edition of VISA on 28th October 2024, which will also be the final VISA Event for this Semester.

Best wishes,

Office of International Programmes

MCC

[Minutes of the Meeting prepared by Mr. Abraham, III BA English]

Can You Identify Research Gaps? ❤️

The Map & The Gap in Research Writing!

Can you identify Research Gaps before you go ahead and engage yourself in academic research?

Remember! Identifying the research gap is crucial before you venture into serious research. 

First, let us take a look at the research question.

Well, an important constituent of a good research work is the development of a carefully formulated research question.

Good research questions are capable of triggering a beehive of intellectual activity. They not only help in critical reflection, but also open up a slew of discussions and debates on the topic.

Moreover, innovative research questions have the capacity to challenge conventional assumptions and age-old beliefs.

Now, let us look into the research gap!

While a research question acts as a road map that provides direction for new research, the research gap is considered the birthplace for research questions/ research topics.

In short, a research gap is a field of study in which there is a lack of existing research or knowledge on a particular concept.

To sum it up, identifying the research gap becomes a very important part of a good research, as it can help bridge gaps in existing literature, and a good research question is one that addresses the research gap and the research problem.

Now consider these two articles from the Times of India, Chennai Edition.

Read them carefully… Here we go!

Gaps in special education research in India prompted researchers and educators to establish the India Inclusion Research Network (IIRN) in the city on Saturday.

Former national security advisor M K Narayanan launched the forum, which will address policies that help children with special needs holistically.

“Inclusive education benefits the learning needs and creates an enriching environment. We have to support policies that help children with special needs, and these policies must be grounded in robust research,” he said.

Lack of guidance for writing and publishing research and peer discussion are major hurdles in advancing the field, experts said.

“There is hardly any indigenous research. We need qualitative and mixed methods research in special education,” said Himanshu Das, professor at the school of special education and rehabilitation science, SKD University.

To address this gap, Sankalp, a special school under the department of welfare of differently abled persons, brought together educators, researchers, and parents. Richard Rose, professor of inclusive education at Northampton University, said curricula should focus on holistic approaches to ensure equity and access for learners with diverse needs.

Gitanjali Govindarajan, founder of Snehadhara Foundation, introduced her Arts Practices for Inclusion (API) programme, which integrates therapeutic arts practices to promote social inclusion.

The Research Question hence includes the research gap and the problem as well.

Now read the next article –

Avid texters will soon have a new way to talk about the growing impacts of climate change: an emoji depicting a tree without leaves.

Approval of the emoji was revealed in an update earlier this year from the Unicode Consortium.

The leafless tree — also known as the “dead tree” or “dying tree” emoji — was first pitched in 2022 by Brian Baihaki, who saw a gap in messaging graphics that touch on environmentalism.

“That something from 2022… is still relevant today actually speaks to the longstanding relevancy of the concept,” says Jennifer Daniel, chair of the emoji subcommittee at the Unicode Consortium. “Because two years in digital space might as well be 200 years.”

Emoji may not be high on the list of tools needed to combat the impacts of climate change, but the dead tree reflects people’s need to communicate about those impacts, says Scott Varda, an associate professor of communication at Baylor University.

“An emoji like the leafless tree emoji has the possibility to create awareness of climate change as a problem,” Varda says, though he’s “concerned that it does not fix any of the larger messaging issues.”

The leafless tree is one of seven new emoji that will be available on phones in the first half of 2025, joining a fingerprint, a harp, a splat, a shovel, a root vegetable and a face with bags under its eyes.

Source: Times of India, Chennai Edition, 22 Sept 2024

These two articles would help provide a clear overview to identifying the research gap and the research problem before you go ahead and frame the research question and the thesis statement.

Here’s wishing you the best in your tryst with your research! 

Into a Musical World of Chaos

 Alan M Eben's (II MA English) Performance in The New Indian Express dt. 3rd October 2024,Chennai Ed.

Invite for VISA Episode # 9 | Ms. Athira Suresh Kumar

 

PhD Candidate in Materials Science | Specializing in Correlative Microscopy & Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

Ms. Athira Suresh Kumar is currently a second-year PhD student at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), where she is part of the Advanced Instrumentation for Nano Analytics (AINA) group. Her research is centered on creating novel methodologies for mapping the spatial distribution of hydrogen in materials, utilizing correlative microscopy based on Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). her work seeks to deepen the understanding of hydrogen interactions within materials using advanced nano-analytical techniques, contributing to advancements in materials characterization and its development.

Collaborations: Technical University, Delft, Netherlands

Cordially Inviting You... ❤️

 

To experience a unique learning opportunity!

VISA – Ms. Swapna Sundar | A Report

23rd Sept 2024

Dear All,

Thank you for participating in today’s VISA – Virtual Interaction with Scholars Abroad Episode # 8 with Ms. Swapna Sundar, Alumna, Department of Political Science.

Minutes of the Meeting

Speaker: Ms. Swapna Sundar

(Studies: BA Political Science in MCC

Pursued Law at Dr. Ambedkar Govt. Law College, Chennai

Masters in Law, Brussels School of International Studies

Teaching Assistant, Kent Law School, University of Canterbury)

College Prayer given by Global Student Ambassador Sabarinathan

Welcome Address given by Dean of International Programs, Dr. Samuel Rufus

Introduction of speaker by Professor Diviyan from the Department of Political Science

Ms. Swapna Sundar’s Talk

Slide 1 - Why Study Abroad?

* As a student looking to pursue higher education overseas, ask yourself why you want to study abroad.

* May be to experience a unique learning opportunity or to settle abroad or for experience and exposure. Make choices for universities based on your decisions.

Slide 2 - What to Study? Academic Choices

* Professional Degrees - be mindful of pursuing professional degrees abroad with the intention of returning to home country, as equalisation exams are necessary before one can practice.

* Regulation and Laws - be mindful of the laws regarding return to home country.

* Future Career Path - Sketch out a suitable path for yourself to help with making academic choices.

Slide 3 - Funding Your Education

* Scholarships - Research and apply early for scholarships that suit your profile. As India is no longer classified as an underdeveloped or developing country, scholarship opportunities have come down, but there are still good ones.

* Student Loans - Be mindful of your ability to pay back.

Slide 4 - Living Options

* Guest Homes and Hostels - diverse living space with opportunities to interact with people from various cultures

* College campus and Student Residence - spaces sanctioned by the university with opportunities to interact with students from the same university

* Shared Housing - spaces that enable camaraderie on the basis of sharing a living space.

Slide 5 - Travel on a Budget

* Travelling by Parental Support

* Explore the city - take time to explore travel facilities offered to students, especially in Europe and utilise wisely.

* Travel Safe - look for trustable group tours and solo travel with caution.

Slide 6 - Cost Management

* Live like Students - Embrace a simple lifestyle - choose valuable experiences over comfort

* Budget wisely - especially in a shared living space (and even otherwise), manage finances wisely.

* Odd jobs - working part time helps the budget.

Slide 7 - Relationships and Social Life

* Personal Relationships - Be mindful of the kind of company you make

* Social life - do not do anything that would land you in trouble. Be mindful of the fact that you are in another country.

* Legal Awareness - be mindful of the law when it comes to international students in that country as opposed to locals. Don’t jeopardise your visa status or future plans.

Q&A session with the students

Vote of Thanks by Lakshmi

MC & Minutes: Ms. Lakshmi Ramaswami, II MA English

Report of the Meeting: Mr. T. Abraham

We shall meet again next week on yet another Episode of ‘VISA’.

Best wishes,

Office the Dean of International Programmes

MCC

Invite for VISA Episode # 8 | Ms. Swapna Sundar

Invite for VISA Episode # 8 | Ms. Swapna Sundar

Dear All,

We cordially invite you to join us for a lively time of interaction with Ms. Swapna Sundar at 6 pm, Monday, 23rd September 2024 on Zoom Meet, as part of our Virtual Interaction with Scholars Abroad Series, Episode # 8.

Ms. Swapna Sundar has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Madras Christian College, and she is a proud member of the alumni association.

Ms. Swapna Sundar is an accomplished scholar, with four renowned publications to her credit. She is also an excellent communicator, with a vibrant zest for life, and a quest for achieving excellence. She will talk about her experience abroad, and with her immense global exposure, she would also give valuable suggestions on opportunities for higher studies in various destinations abroad.

Do join in at 6 pm, Monday, 23rd September 2024 on Zoom Meet using the link below.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3186192180?pwd=M2l6N2F0aFJpcGhtMDBEQXUyL0gyUT09

Meeting ID: 318 619 2180

Passcode: chemistry

Please also find attached the flyer for the event.

Kind regards,

Dr. Rufus

Madras Christian College Introduces a Smart Duck to track water quality of its Campus Lake

In Today's Times of India

Madras Christian College has introduced a smart duck to track water quality of a lake inside its sprawling 300-acre campus in Tambaram.

The IoT-enabled, remote-controlled duck will move across the lake and gather real time data on seven key parameters, including water temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and pH, among others.

The lake, one of the key water sources inside the campus, was desilted by Bisleri International Limited as part of their CSR project. They also handed over funds for developing a prototype for checking water quality.

A team from MCC-MRF Innovation Park developed the 3D-printed duck with sensors and created an app to receive and analyse data.

“We can make informed decisions on conserving the lake based on the data. It will help us to protect the ecology and wildlife inside the campus,” says Paul Wilson, principal of Madras Christian College.

The idea of deploying the smart duck was his.

He said any change in the water quality, including an increase in acidity levels, could reveal contamination and help them take proactive measures to control the damage.

“The inbuilt solar panels can power the duck. It can be operated without sunlight for two days, and if needed, it can also be manually charged,” said Kousik, founder of the startup KOLOZEN, which built the duck. The startup has now been fetching and transferring this data for the last two weeks.

Researchers say they could deploy similar ducks on other water bodies outside the campus to monitor water quality and collect data for local bodies.

“This data could tell us about what is happening to a water body during the rain, seasonal change, its environmental health, and diseases. We can also build a hydro informatics platform of a water body with this data. It has huge potential,” said professor T Pradeep, department of chemistry, IIT Madras.

The scrub jungle inside the MCC campus is home to roughly about 90 spotted deer, porcupines, toddy cats, and bats. The duck has two cameras in its eyes to help the college track movements of wild animals within the campus.

VISA Meet with Dr. Ramesh Raja, Alumnus

VISA Meet | 12th September 2024 | A Report

Mr. Ramesh Raja | Singapore

[BA & MA Tamil in MCC]

Dear All,

Thank you for participating in today’s VISA – ‘Virtual Interaction with Scholars Abroad’ Episode # 7.

Mr. Ramesh Raja who did his BA and MA in Tamil with us in MCC, spoke on his teaching experience in Singapore.

‘Singapore is a land of safety and security, and it’s a jewel from heaven come down, said Mr. Ramesh Raja’, elaborating on life in Singapore.

‘There are no recommendations for any postings in Singapore. According to your talent, you will be absorbed in any sector’, said Ramesh.

‘There’s a lot of demand for teachers in Singapore, but a B.Ed Degree is mandatory to get into school teaching’, he said.

On Higher Education in Singapore, he said that, ‘Singapore gives the provision for students to work part-time while doing their degree programme. Five Singapore Universities are among the top #100 in World Rankings, he observed, and added that, there is a great demand for good Professors in Universities there. No kind of recommendation works in Singapore, as merit is valued there’, he said.

‘As regards applying for your PhD programme, the only criteria they expect from you is to clearly outline the objectives of your research. This can get you even scholarships and stipends’, he added.

‘After your Degree, doing a technical course / Value-added course / Diploma Course helps in enhancing job prospects in Singapore’, he said.

Ramesh also said that he would help students of MCC to contact the right person, as regards their higher studies or placements, if they get in touch with him. (He has also given his email id and contact no).

Mr. Sabarinathan did the MC, and Mr. Abraham read out the College Prayer. Dr. Paul Prabhu Santharaj, Head, Dept of Tamil, welcomed the gathering. Dr. Sebulon Prabu Durai introduced the speaker of the day and coordinated the Q & A.

We shall meet again next week, on Wednesday, 18th September 2024, on our next edition of VISA.

Thank you.

Office of the Dean of International Programmes

MCC

Study Abroad Seminar on Higher Education in Japan: A Report

Study Abroad Seminar | Higher Education in Japan

11th September 2024 | A REPORT

Dear All,

Thank you for participating in today’s lively and highly engaging Study Abroad Seminar on Opportunities for Higher Studies, Internships and Scholarships in Japan.

Dr. Robinson, Head, Department of Mathematics was the Resource Person. He kept the students engaged right from start to finish.

Interestingly he spoke to a few in the audience in good Japanese, and they responded with equal enthusiasm.

Dr. Robinson started off by giving an overview of the Structure of the Education System in Japan, and then proceeded to elaborate on Higher Education in Japan.

He outlined all the famous Universities in Japan, right from

Hiroshima University,

Akita International University,

Hokkaido University,

Chiba University,

Keio University,

Kyoto University,

International Christian University,

Kyushu University,

International University of Japan,

Nagoya University,

Kanazawa University,

Osaka University,

Kumamoto University,

Tohoku University,

Kwansei Gakuin University,

Tokyo Institute of Technology,

Kyoto Institute of Technology,

Waseda University,

Osaka University,

University of Tokyo,

University of Tsukuba,

Rikkyo University,

Risumeikan Asia Pacific University,

Soka University,

Sophia University,

Tokyo University of Foreign Studies,

Tokyo University of the Arts,

Global Toyo University,

University  of Aizu

Which includes the top Universities preferred for MEXT Scholarships.

Dr. Robinson then elaborated on the Japan Society for Promotion of Science and the

1. Ronpaku PhD Programme

2. Post-doctoral fellowships (Short term/Long term)

3. Invitational Fellowships (Short term/Long term)

4. Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI)

Then Dr. Robinson proceeded to outline the seven steps to study in Japan, and highlighted the EJU – Examination for Japanese University of Admission for International Students.

He also gave a few insightful guidebooks on -

Scholarship for International Students in Japan, 2024

International Students Guidebook

The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)

List of Scholarships for Privately-financed International Students, etc.

Many students asked their genuine queries and had them addressed by Dr. T. Robinson.

It was a memorable session that took us all into a beautiful educational and cultural tour of Japan.

On behalf of the Office of the Dean of International Programmes, we sincerely thank Dr. T. Robinson for spending his valuable time and for sharing the valuable information on Higher Education in Japan.

Ms. Ganga did the MC and introduced the speaker.

Mr. Sabarinathan did the opening prayer and the Q&A coordination.

Ms. Smrithi presented the memento to the Resource Person and also proposed the Vote of Thanks.

Language and Sexual Difference by Susan Sellers

 Language and Sexual Difference by Susan Sellers [from the Introduction to the book]

Introduction

How can women analyze their own exploitation, inscribe their own demands, within an order prescribed by the masculine? - Luce Irigaray

In this introductory section, Susan Sellers outlines the recent linguistic debates, as these have developed in and influenced the French-speaking world, by presenting the work of the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure and the theories of three French cultural interpreters, Claude Levi-Strauss, Michel Foucault and Roland Barthes, so as to provide a context for the very different interpretations of French feminism.

In the second half of this section, she introduces the writings of Helene Cixous, Luce Irigaray and Julia Kristeva to show how their work both draws on and challenges these theories.

The Problem in Women’s ‘Expression of their Experience’

Language has been a major area of intellectual inquiry in the twentieth century. The impetus for this new interest has come from the realisation of the crucial role language plays in our lives.

Language is intrinsic to the way we think, to the way we construct our group and self-identities, to the way we perceive the world and organise our social relationships and political systems. Language encodes our experience, and because of the particular vision on which our language system depends, the problem for women is that we can only express ourselves in the language that symbolises the way man has perceived the world to be, says Susan Sellers.

DIFFERENCE IN LANGUAGE | Saussure

Saussure split language into two basic categories: the word - or signifier - and the concept - or signified - for which it stands. The letters c-a-t, for instance, or the sound of these letters as they are pronounced, constitute the signifier of the animal 'cat'. It is the consensus of agreement amongst English speakers that c-a-t should designate a feline quadruped.

An illustration of Saussure's theory can be found in the way different languages distinguish colours. Colours are not distinct, separate bands, but part of a continuous spectrum of light which we divide for the sake of convenience into red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

The Construction of the Other: Michel Foucault

The French philosopher and historian Michel Foucault has similarly developed Saussure’s theory that meaning is a product of differences, and these differences help in the creation of group identities!

So in order for a group to form, I, as a potential member, must perceive a resemblance between myself and the other group members. He argued that one of the ways in which a group's identity is forged (and mine as part of it) is through its recognition of its differences from other groups.

He believed these distinctions underlie all social hierarchy, as well as the structure of language and logic of thought. They operate as the fundamental organising principle in the way we think, speak and define ourselves in relation to others.

Georg Hegel’s Model of the ‘Master and his Slave’ Metaphor

The nineteenth century German philosopher Georg Hegel provided a metaphor for the way in which identity is created through the opposition and hierarchical ordering of differences in his model of a master and his slave.

The model refers to the way in which masters define themselves in relation to their slaves, good in the context of evil, black in terms of white. Simone de Beauvoir, in her study The Second Sex, develops the metaphor to show how the identity of the individual subject is created in relation to an object or 'other'; and she extends the argument to demonstrate how men have made use of women in order to guarantee their position as masters.

The written text: Roland Barthes

Like Michel Foucault, the French critic Roland Barthes has explored the ways in which the prevailing ideology of the dominant power group works to conceal the processes by which it has attained power through an appeal to 'truths' presented in such a way that they appear natural, logical or inevitable.

Like Foucault, Barthes argued that these processes are nevertheless revealed in the discourse and other cultural activities of the ruling group.

In Mythologies he shows how the prevailing ideology infuses even such apparently neutral texts as photographs. Citing the example of a photograph of a black soldier in uniform saluting the French flag on a front cover of the magazine Paris-Match, Barthes demonstrated how the picture means more than a French soldier's loyal salute.

Appearing as it did at the time of the Algerian war for independence, the photograph implies the justice of the French cause. Its signified, Barthes suggests, is also French Imperialism, and an appeal for the continuation of French colonial rule.

In his work on literature, this insistence prompted Barthes to focus not on what texts mean, but on the processes by which meaning is achieved.

His belief that a signifier can have several signifieds led him to develop a mode of criticism that would take into account the plurality of meanings in texts. He challenged those critics who attempt to fix a single, 'correct' meaning on a text, arguing instead for a practice of reading that would explore how meanings are created.

He distinguished two different types of writers - the ecrivant - or writer who believes they have something to say and uses language to say this as unequivocally as possible - and the ecrivain - or writer who explores the potential of language to generate (multiple) meanings. He condemned the first type of writer, who like the old-style critic holds on to an illusory belief in intrinsic meaning and whose attempt to dictate how a work should be interpreted reveals his own ideological bias and desire for power, concentrating increasingly on the second type of writer or ecrivain.

Continuing this distinction, Barthes also distinguished between two types of text. He described the text of the ecrivant as lisible - or readable - since the role of the reader is reduced to passively following the words on the page. An ecrivain's text, by contrast, he referred to as scriptable - or writable - since the participation of its reader is actively sought to co-produce meanings. Barthes suggested that the scriptable text frees the reader from the tyranny of imposed definition, offering instead the possibility of 'other' meanings.

Drawing on the psychoanalytic theories of Freud, Barthes argued that the pleasure a reader experiences in reading a scriptable text is linked to the primary pleasures of infancy. The word Barthes uses to describe this pleasure is jouissance, a word which it is difficult to translate into English since it means sexual as well as other forms of pleasure, but which may be thought of as the pleasure a reader feels in embracing the multiple, richly-textured and exploding layers of meanings in a scriptable text.

For Barthes, the relationship between reader and text is an erotic one, and he suggested that what is offered in a scriptable text is the intimate body of the writer 'in process' - as it moves from a concern with meaning and nomination to the creative, merging pleasures and possibilities of language - an inter-play which is in turn offered to the participating (body of the) reader.

WRITERS OF THE FEMININE 

The theories of the structural linguist Ferdinand de Saussure and those of their French interpreters Claude Levi-Strauss, Michel Foucault and Roland Barthes offer a context for the works of the French feminist theorists Helene Cixous, Luce Irigaray and Julia Kristeva. Drawing on post-structural accounts of the vital role of difference in language, subjectivity and the way we organise the world, their writings reflect, extend and radically challenge these accounts.

The philosophical ploy: Luce Irigaray

In her study Speculum of the Other Woman, the philosopher, linguist and psychoanalyst Luce Irigaray examines the way in which our concept of difference depends on a single, male viewpoint. She suggests our entire system of thinking in the West has been determined by men for their own benefit.

She explores the premises that underlie the theories of the 'great' philosophers from Plato on, revealing both their masculine bias, and how this bias has become encoded in our language and culture to reduce women to silence.

Irigaray devotes almost a third of Speculum of the Other Woman to the work of the third century BC Greek philosopher Plato. The following account of Irigaray's work on Plato is taken from the essay in Speculum of the Other Woman entitled 'Plato's Hysteria.'

Irigaray suggests that the purpose of Plato's philosophy is to create a system of differences, determined in relation to a single idea, capable of leading 'man out of the cave' of his origin to a state of order.

Confronted by the male gaze, woman's sex apparently presents 'nothing to see’. Anything which cannot be defined by man's law, she stresses, has been branded as alien, and subjected to prohibition and denial.

Irigaray believes Plato's philosophy has had devastating consequences for women and men. 'By excluding the gaze of the other', she writes, his system has organised the world into 'a paralyzed empire', with disastrous effects on both sexes. Plato's insistence on the primacy of the father - that it is the father alone who is responsible for procreation ('will alone sow the good seed and be able to give it a proper name') - has, she argues, relegated the mother's function to that of 'mere receptacle'. From Plato on, she stresses, it is the father who has held all rights to property, whilst women have been reduced to a position of muteness or mimicry.

To this day Irigaray believes women's problem remains one of achieving definition within a male-demarcated schema. Woman, Irigaray continues, has no gaze or discourse of her own that can render her own image, and thus no means of breaking the chain of identification that continues to hold women prisoner. Her role as 'male Other' ensures that woman's desire remains without expression. Irigaray suggests that it will be by exploring our desire that women may begin to undermine the power of the masculine state.

The linguist, psychoanalyst and critic Julia Kristeva has been an important figure on the French intellectual scene since her arrival in Paris from Bulgaria in 1966. She spent her first years in Paris working with such influential thinkers as Roland Barthes, until the publication of two books, and then her doctoral thesis Revolution in Poetic Language in 1974. Like Luce Irigaray, Kristeva has developed accounts of how Western society is founded on the recognition and appropriation, repression or destruction of difference from a feminist viewpoint.

Like Luce Irigaray, she believes the monotheism of Western society is sustained by a radical split between the sexes. In About Chinese Women for example, she highlights the role of sexual difference in the creation of linguistic and social order.

As an example of the patriarchal process, Kristeva rereads the biblical account of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. She illustrates how, within this scene, the serpent is made to symbolise not only evil, but everything that is outside the paternal code. She suggests that Eve is made to stand as the polar opposite to God-the-Father's Ward as 'the other race' - embodying transgression and jouissance, as well as their punishment in death.

Only by listening to what is unspoken, she writes, by attending to what is repressed, new, eccentric, incomprehensible and therefore threatening to the paternal code, can women hope to disrupt its order and acquire our own voice. It is in this sense that Kristeva sees language as potentially revolutionary. Only through language, she insists, in an essay entitled 'A New Type of Intellectual: The Dissident', can we hope to bring about the multiple and necessary 'sublations of the unnameable, the unrepresentable, the void'; only by dismantling the very bases of patriarchy, beginning with its language, and working from language to its culture and institutions, can we hope to initiate social and political change.

Woman's abasement: Helen Cixous 

Like Luce Irigaray and Julia Kristeva, Helene Cixous, novelist, playwright, critic, professor of literature at the University of Paris and Director of the Centre for Feminine Studies, which she founded in 1974, sees women's relegation to the role of other as a result of the binary structure of masculine thought. 

Like Julia Kristeva, Cixous believes that the established pattern of perception and classification in the West is organised 'through dual, hierarchical oppositions'. 

Like Luce Irigaray, she believes man's 'desire to be (at) the origin' has initiated a process of separation in which the 'Selfsame' - 'the ownself (- what is mine, hence what is good)' - is differentiated from whatever 'menaces my own-good': 'is "other'" - a pattern to which 'all concepts, codes and values' have subsequently been subjected.

 

She describes how at the age of three or four, she was confronted by the knowledge that 'the world is divided in half and that 'the great, noble, "advanced" countries' had constructed their position by enslaving whatever they had deemed to be 'strange'. 

Just as the 'master-slave dialectic' requires 'what is strange' to be 'conquered and returned to the master', so, she writes, the oppressed peoples of the world are employed by those in power to create and perpetuate their dominion. 

Like Irigaray, she argues that our system of thinking in the West has been constructed 'on the premise of woman's abasement', on the 'subordination of the feminine to the masculine order'. 

She sees man's will for power as the mainstay of Western ideology, founding and perpetuating our social, political and cultural status quo. Even knowledge, she suggests, is caught in this system of binary logic, rendering it inaccessible and sacred, and thus preventing those it subjects from questioning its authority. She concludes that the only way forward is to tear down this 'vast membrane' fabricated by the masculine, overcoming its repressions through the inventive possibilities of language. 

Unlike the current '(Hegelian) scheme of recognition', she stresses, in which there is 'no place for the other': 'for a whole and living woman', she sees the new 'feminine economy' as engendering a love relation in which 'each one would keep the other alive and different'. 

***