Of monkeys, men and menstruation: Gendered dualisms and the absent referent in mid-twentieth century British menstrual science

Duxbury, Catherine (2019) Of monkeys, men and menstruation: Gendered dualisms and the absent referent in mid-twentieth century British menstrual science. Journal of Historical Sociology, 32 (1). pp. 94-107. ISSN 0952-1909

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Abstract

In this paper, I analyse the historical constructions of menstruation in mid-twentieth century Britain. I examine the complex intertwining relations between the female human body and the female nonhuman body. My argument is twofold: firstly, I argue that endocrinological experiments on nonhuman animals' reproductive cycles were mobilised towards affirming a binary division of female/male, animal/human. This facilitated the perpetuation of patriarchal ideologies in British biomedical research. Secondly, I argue that as a result of these dualistic conceptualisations, the female nonhuman body intersected with the female human body in scientific discourses. These bodily transmutations in scientific research contributed towards a form of social control over women, strategically rendering them as ‘Other’ with nonhuman animals. I illustrate this using Carol J Adams' (2015) concept of the absent referent.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Part of Special Issue: Modern Monsters: Studies at the Perimeters of Humanity
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Sociology
Related URLs:	https://repository.essex.ac.uk/25643/
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	31 Jul 2024 18:31
Last Modified:	21 Oct 2025 21:34
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/96095
DOI:	10.1111/johs.12218

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