Hélène Cixous and history

This paper examines the work of Hélène Cixous and situates her thought in relation to two theoretical traditions: psychoanalysis and structuralism. Her conception of I'écriture féminine is fundamentally informed by psychoanalytic notions of libidinal economy and by structuralist insights into language. However, she remains critical of these traditions in important ways. L'écriture féminine presents a Utopian challenge to traditional ways of thinking about historical processes and raises interesting issues in relation to historical work.