Zugl.: Würzburg, Univ., Diss., 2004

Zugl.: Wien, Univ., Diss., 2004

Zugl.: Regensburg, Univ., Diss., 2008 u.d.T.: Maier-Eroms, Verena Eleonore: 'Heldentum' und 'Weiblichkeit' im Mittelalter und in der Neuzeit

Zugleich: Diss. phil I. Zürich, 2008. / Register. Literaturverz.

Zugl.: Heidelberg, Univ., Diss., 2008

Zugl.: Regensburg, Univ., Diss., 2008 u.d.T.: Maier-Eroms, Verena Eleonore: 'Heldentum' und 'Weiblichkeit' im Mittelalter und in der Neuzeit

Während sich im wissenschaftlichen Diskurs die Geschlechtergrenzen zunehmend verflüssigen, es ‘harten Wissenschaften’ wie der Medizin und der Humanbiologie zunehmend schwerer fällt, Männlichkeit und Weiblichkeit eindeutig zu definieren und die Rolle des Körpers (nicht nur infolge der Butlerschen Theoriebildung) immer umstrittener wird, verkünden die Medien nicht erst seit Eva Herman und John Gray, dass “Männer vom Mars” und “Frauen von der Venus” seien. Populärwissenschaftliche Publikationen scheinen umso höhere Auflagen zu erreichen, je mehr sie auf schlichten, oft ‘wesenhaft’-essentialistischen Definitionen des ‘kleinen Unterschieds’ beharren, und Bücher wie Robert Blys Iron John: A Book about Men (1990) oder Sam Keens Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man (1991) sind auch 20 Jahre nach ihrer Erstveröffentlichung noch lieferbar und nachgefragt.

As with other women`s garments, the kanga has always been closely linked with the perceptions and attitudes that the society has about women themselves. These perceptions and attitudes continue to shape and determine the place of women in their socio-cultural context. Just as women`s clothes are often taken to define, if partially, the beings that occupy them, similarly, in characteristically wearing certain garments and not others, women then assign to those garments what is perceived to be their `feminineness`. In Tanzania, the kanga indexes this `femininity` in a strong way, in spite of the fact that men also wear it.

As with other women`s garments, the kanga has always been closely linked with the perceptions and attitudes that the society has about women themselves. These perceptions and attitudes continue to shape and determine the place of women in their socio-cultural context. Just as women`s clothes are often taken to define, if partially, the beings that occupy them, similarly, in characteristically wearing certain garments and not others, women then assign to those garments what is perceived to be their `feminineness`. In Tanzania, the kanga indexes this `femininity` in a strong way, in spite of the fact that men also wear it. Even more so, the messages that appear on the kanga are viewed as a uniquely female form of communication, and women in Zanzibar, the area covered by this study, have been making increasing use of them as an additional strategy which allows them to make strong statements about their concems, while at the same time avoiding any direct conflict which may arise fiom their individual actions.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Heidelberg, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 305-323).