Barbelith Underground > Temple > Sacred Prostitution in Antiquity

trouser those links are badass. thank you.

from The Whore and the Holy One link above:

Sacred whores are redefining cultural constructions of prostitution, as Shannon
Bell points out; “Postmodern prostitute performance artists have traced their lineage back to the sacred prostitute; in doing so they have produced a strategic genealogy that undermines and displaces the modern construct of the prostitute” (Bell Anthropofogy of Consciousness [9(4)] 1994:19). Ultimately, the new cultural possibilities being generated by the mythology of the sacred whore are more relevant to our contemporary situation as feminists than are the ever lingering problems of temple harlotry's historicity.

Contemporary sacred

whores draw upon the legends of temple harlots in the ancient world for inspiration and spiritual nourishment, and some are attempting to recreate those traditions. It is the belief of these women that whether or not temple prostitution was a factual historical event, the myth and its attendant sacred whore archetype contains powerful possibilities for shifting cultural consciousness.

this kind of dovetails with what I quoted upthread:

Archeological artifacts gain their historical and cultural meaning through discourse. Their function as an ideological and persuasive force in society is the domain of visual rhetoric. As a form of rhetoric, the artifacts contribute to “doxa,” – the general knowledge upon which judgments of “good reasons” and arguments within the public sphere can be based. If the linkages between doxa and its referents become too tenuous, a crisis of legitimacy within civil society could result.

Scholarship employing rhetorical-critical theory suggests that both the physical and symbolic dimensions of archeological and cultural artifacts influence how people and societies renegotiate identity. Such renegotiation is a common and continuous process, of cultural import during periods of societal renewal.

What we are looking at isn't just the fantasy life of some male hetero magicians projecting a golden age view of Teh Woe-man (which isn't to deny that is a reasonable accusation to level at some authors/practitioners) but that the 'visionary' or outright incorrect ahistorical framing of the role in antiquity is being used to renegotiate identity. Such renegotiation is a common and continuous process, of cultural import during periods of societal renewal.

The problem for me becomes the lack of ownership around this agenda and that those holding it are content to view their assumptions about the people of antiquity as valid. Content might be a poor word choice here because I think they are invested in establishing current legitimacy based on ancient precendent where none may have existed (or not in the context to make it one for one interchanagble).

the quest for validation, legiitmacy, and inspiration in the face of such strong opposition is to be supported but the need for respect of other's experiences is still a core value (it is after all what many of these folks are fighting for themselves).

Even the cringeworthy het-ma-gician could fall into this category of trying to renegotiate some restictive element of their current societal package (I think this is more the case than not) by appropriating the mantle of legitmacy from elsewhere. but it is too problematic and creepy when not remaining in dialogue with the source and the owners of the experience. We may make some allowances based on privilege, those with less may take from those with more, but I still think this is incorrect as the dead of antiquity have absolutely no privilege or ability to speak for themselves.

So how do we address the misappropriation of other's culture and experience when we seem to require historical precendent for renegotiating current social identity?