New Books in Critical Theory Natacha Chetcuti-Osorovitz and Sara Garbagnoli "La Pensée Wittig: Une Introduction" (Payot, 2025)
Sep 26, 2025
Sara Garbagnoli, a feminist scholar and co-author of 'La Pensée Wittig', dives into the revolutionary ideas of Monique Wittig. She discusses how Wittig's theories challenge oppressive regimes, particularly heterosexuality, as a political construct. Garbagnoli emphasizes the importance of materialist feminism and critiques the inadequacies of consent within oppressive frameworks. She also explores the transformative potential of lesbianism and how literature can serve as a subversive tool. Her insights illuminate why Wittig's work remains vital to contemporary feminist and queer discussions.
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Discovery That Gave Oxygen
- Sara Garbagnoli discovered Monique Wittig in her 30s after years of feeling suffocated as a lesbian.
- Wittig's writing "gave me oxygen" and changed how Garbagnoli saw the world.
Wittig As A Conceptual Paradigm
- "La Pensée Wittig" names a conceptual paradigm that denaturalizes sex and race as political categories.
- It opposes la pensée straight, the perceptual order that makes social groups appear natural.
History Anchors Theory
- Historical context is essential to grasp Wittig's project and its antagonisms within French materialist feminism.
- Context restores the force of her theses like heterosexuality as a total political regime.
