On Female Agency

[egeria61]

I like shifting the terms of the discussion to "female agency," but I think it's important to remember that agency can occur within limiting situations (cultural, temporal, etc). What do we do with characters who have agency within circumscribed limits which they can't escape? I admire these characters as much as their fully self-actualized

Comments

[egeria61]

That sounds like a nice lunch! :D And I see what you're saying about the Sub having the real power. (Running through the back of my mind: Master and slave: the slave has a certain degree of power because he/she is necessary to the Master's identity.) There's something really interesting about making a distinction between relinquishing power and not having any.

[egeria61]

Having choices does recalibrate the power-scales, and I think it's safe to say there's always some choice in every situation. Agency is too often equated with free-will, and it too often examines a single individual's choices in isolation from everything else. I like this

Perhaps the real wisdom comes in knowing the difference and when to make your move.because it's more interesting to consider "agents" in a moving system. It's not just the "agent" (or the "subject") who makes a move--everything is in motion. So there are unexpected consequences to our choices. "Passively" accepting the consequences of our own choices--yeah, I think that should count as wisdom. (And I think that's the hardest thing to accept about being a subject: it has consequences beyond our control, even though we made the initial choice