Unrepresentable Bodies.

Witches, cripples and female pirates in power culture and social imaginary

Abstract

Abstract

The transition phase from feudal to capitalist society introduces a series of strategies for disciplining and training bodies, linking the concept of 'normality' to that of productivity. This involves an increasingly strong adherence to moral and religious principles that penalise other bodies. In this cultural context, the proletariat develops and, in parallel, an attack is carried out on the female body, culminating in the so-called witch-hunt, but also involving other disturbing figures, socially incompatible because they are considered unproductive, such as the 'cripple marked by God', or because they use force to emancipate themselves from patriarchal culture, such as the pirate women. All this is reflected in the collective imaginary up to the present day, testifying the influence exercised by cultures of power.