Abstract

Drawing on Hélène Cixous' "The Laugh of the Medusa," this thesis asks what would happen if one were to use Cixous' alternative vision of a feminist society to inform an alternative vision of education. In order to answer this question, the educational implications of one element of Cixous' work, écriture féminine, are explored. This thesis makes an important link between issues raised in critical and feminist pedagogies and meaningful ways of addressing them through the use of écriture féminine. It argues that a theory of education based on Cixous' écriture féminine results in a liberatory pedagogy, one that uses language to address issues of difference and that is therefore crucial in engaging feminist concerns. In order to articulate this, the thesis will explain the theories and concepts that provide the foundation of écriture féminine, refute some of the criticisms that have been associated with it, and discuss the reasons why a new approach to pedagogy is necessary. Finally; it will provide practical pedagogical approaches that reflect the spirit of écriture féminine and that will help teachers to meet the goals of a transformative education that values difference, specifically surrounding the themes of imagination, emotion, and multiplicity.