Writing as Sanctuary: place, movement and the sacred in the work of Hélène Cixous

Abstract

Recent theological interest in sacred place is matched by critical theory's interest in place and movement. The French philosopher, Hélène Cixous, has shown consistent interest in material and imagined places throughout her work. This article examines the role of place and movement in Cixous's writing and considers how these issues inhere within writing itself. Cixous's imaginative engagements with place and movement provide resources for drawing together critical theory and theology in creative ways. This article attends to place in Cixous's writing through an analysis of the spatial metaphors of garden and flight and the connecting term of sanctuary.