Teaching how to Look at and View Bodies within Literature

Abstract

This paper focuses on how to initiate discussions of the regulatory gaze in primary school classrooms through the study of characters in literature. It specifically focuses on two renowned characters in Spanish literature: Xo la (Bernardo At xaga) and Iholdi (Mariasun Landa). These characters are co mposed of a chorus of looks which in turn also look. We shall carefully reflect upon these looks and discuss how we see others, how others see us, and how we would like others to see us. 1. Conceptualisation and Introduction This paper agrees with the theoretical basis of feminist anthropology's claims concerning inequality. The theory holds that the hierarchy between the sexes is the cornerstone of a social order initially dictated by nature, subsequently ratified by customs, and finally leg islated in law. In this regard, the law takes on board the thesis that an attack on a wo man is structural vio lence based on standards and values, on the grounds of unequal hierarchised relations between the sexes. In connect ion with th is structural vio lence, in recent decades the Basque Country (Sp ain) has been heav ily med iatised due to political violence, whereas sexist violence has been silenced even though it has been generated in the same proportion as in the rest of the Spanish State. These two types of violence in the Basque Country match what researcher Johan Galtung defined as instances of structural vio lence. Whe n there is an intent io nal perp et rato r of violence, Galtung defines this as direct violence; when there is no such perpetrator, he defines it as structural or ind irect violence, a type of vio lence arising fro m the structure of society itself. Beh ind these types of v io lence lies the symbolic cultural vio lence present in religion, language, ideology, art, science, law, the media and also in education. The funct ion is qu ite simp le - leg it imis ing d irect and structural v iolence. Thus the patriarchy institutionalises male do minance in vert ical structu res, with ext remely strong correlations between gender and position, legit imised