Epistemology of the Bonds between Women : The Possibility of the Concept of "Female Homosociality"

オンナ　ドウシ　ノ　キズナ　ノ　ニンシキロン　ジョセイ　ノ　ホモソーシャリティ　ガイネン　ノ　カノウセイ

アズマ, ソノコ

Azuma, Sonoko

オオサカ ダイガク ダイガクイン ニンゲン カガク ケンキュウカ シャカイガク ニンゲンガク ジンルイガク ケンキュウシツ

Sociology, Anthropology and Philosophy, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University

ホモソー シャリティ

『男同士の絆』

強制的異性愛

「非性的なもの」

the bonds between women

homosociality

Between Men

compulsory heterosexuality

the nonsexual

This paper aims to establish the concept of “female homosociality", by indicating the significance of applying the term of “homosociality" which is mostly used for men, to women. By considering the male homosocial relationship that is a social bond between persons of the same sex from a point of view that likened it to and distinguished it from homosexuality, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick made apparent the cognitive framework of relations between persons of the same sex, whether “sexual" or “nonsexual", in modern western society, and showed that it is valid to analyze society by “the nonsexual". To apply “homosociality" indicating a “nonsexual" relationship between persons of the same sex can make the difficulty of perceiving “nonsexual" relationship between women visible, and put the strong connection between women and “the sexual" in question. And though there are terms showing bonds of women in feminism, “sisterhood" and “ lesbian continuum", “female homosociality" has a different significance as analytic concept. The concept of “female homosociality" can be not only effective to analyze male dominant societies with compulsory heterosexuality, but also a clue making it possible to imagine new bonds between women beyond the relationships of women restricted by such societies.