Clear history: 10 confessions of sex, scripture, and subjectivity an autoethnographic performance

Applying Foucault's theories of discursive formations and confessions to contemporary Fundamentalist Christianity, this work seeks to determine how female sexuality is constructed within this community. Butler's theory of giving an account of oneself, which employs Foucault's constructs of discursive formations and confessions, is used to present the idea that personal narration, although powerful as a tool for cultural critique, is not successful unless the goal of such critique is to move others in the direction of change. The change being encouraged in this work is a movement in the Church toward understanding that female sexuality has been misrepresented in literature, in relationships, and in the pulpit. Providing a personal account of participation in this community through the lens of Foucault's suggestion that the act of confession has the power to call into being one's subjectivity, this work employs autoethnographic research displayed through the performance of ten confessions about sex related issues from the female fundamentalist Christian perceptive that are vulnerable, honest, and true. The critical review of this literature draws attention to the fact that female sexuality is misrepresented in many cultures, not just the Fundamentalist Christian culture. As a sub-culture, Fundamentalist Christianity influences and is influenced by the larger culture, which is why a sampling of secular literature is included in this work. The conclusion concisely states three findings: 1) The discursive formations that are born out of the Church's presentation of sex in general, and female sexuality in particular, generate a hostile atmosphere within which female subjectivity is constructed. 2) Regardless of this hostility, the act of confession allows females within the fundamentalist Christian community to vocalize their subjectivity as a means of critiquing the blatant disparities between the ways male Christians and female Christians are allowed to interact with their respective subjectivities. 3) This critique challenges the Church to alter its constructed rules, roles, and norms, so that female Christians who speak about sex freely or confess that they struggle with sexual temptation/sin are not viewed as vulgar, and, essentially, subhuman beings. Finally, questions are posed and suggestions are provided for continued research on this topic.