Susan Bordo

Monday's snowy weather didn't prevent a renowned scholar from giving a talk on campus. Susan Bordo holds an endowed chair position at the University of Kentucky, where she is a member of the Women's and Gender Studies and English departments. Affiliations aside, she is one of the foremost Feminist philosophers and is credited with pioneering Body Studies as a discipline. Considering Professor Strickland's research interests, it was no surprise to see her there as well. The talk was called "Beyond Eating Disorders" and explored the intricacies of the relationships between bodies, culture, capitalism, and the historical implications of all of these. It was fascinating, and I'd be happy to talk with you if you want to know more.
The reason I went to this particular talk (besides the catered reception and free wine) was because of the connection between contemporary eating disorders and my interest in the cultural implications of food. I've been working with my students to see the myriad of different ways food impacts their daily lives on all levels of the food chain (production, distribution, consumption, etc). Thinking about eating disorders as a result of the preceding moments on the chain, gives me a much different understanding of those disorders. Part of Bordo's talk was addressing the social stigma that eating disorders are wholly psychological or defects of character, which coalesced nicely with my understanding of the food chain as impacting more than just what's on our plates.
On a side note, I was lucky enough to have attended the 'meet and greet' for students prior to the talk. I say lucky because I was the only person who showed up (besides LuAnn Roth, an English professor who has been coordinating the entire year-long Food & Society series), and had over an hour to talk with Bordo. It was a great opportunity, not only to be able to talk to one of the most distinguished contemporary American feminist philosophers, but to get to hear her take on academics, conferences, and her life as a professor. Her take on academic writing was different than others I have heard, in that she strives to bring her academic prose, her challenging concepts, and her overall message to a level that most (if not all) audiences can appreciate. She told me that one of the most gratifying things that happens to her is when a non-academic, non-college-aged person tells her how much impact her work has had on his/her life. She also teaches a graduate-level course on 'popularizing' esoteric, academic prose to be read by a more general audience. This idea was contrary to what I assumed of academic work, especially that of Philosophers.
Lots of ideas here that play into our discussions of Arguing Differently. Care to comment?