2024/03/01 by Simon Clay · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Jewish Identity and Society #Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies #Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices
paper · doi:10.1353/mrw.2024.a944365
openalex publication_date 2024/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract: Lilith has radically changed since she first appeared in ancient Mesopotamia and late antique Babylonia. Medieval Kabbalists situated her as the mother of demons and a murderous succubus, she was a muse to nineteenth century European poets and artists, and radical feminists in the 1970s reclaimed Lilith as the embodiment of female emancipation. This article critically examines four cross-cultural manifestations of Lilith, including Lilith as the “hand of Inanna,” Eve’s lesbian lover, genetrix and protector of children, and a trans divinity, and expands upon Creed’s theory of the “monstrous-feminine” to present a unique type of feminism that has emerged from Lilith’s cultural history: monster feminism. This brand of feminism is a praxis that arises from within groups marginalized by patriarchal gender roles that mobilize the monstrous as a way of resisting structural violence. These genealogies also show the way her evolution over time has been a dynamic and iterative process, rendering her a constellation of ideas rather than a single coherent figure.