Sex in the war: an aesthetics of resistance in the diaries of Etty Hillesum

Walton, H. (2005) Sex in the war: an aesthetics of resistance in the diaries of Etty Hillesum. Theology and Sexuality, 12(1), pp. 51-61. (doi: 10.1177/1355835805057786)

Abstract

This article explores the wartime journals of Etty Hillesum who chronicled her life in the Netherlands under Nazi occupation and her experiences in the transit camp of Westerbork from where she was transported to Auschwitz. In the midst of appalling circumstances Hillesum constructed an aesthetics of resistance in which eroticism played a significant part. This was a mystical aesthetics in which God is encountered through beauty. Hillesum’s work is a major resource for those who are seeking to reflect upon the relationship between aesthetics and politics in the current context as illustrated with reference to the work of Hélène Cixous.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Walton, Professor Heather
• Authors: Walton, H.
• Subjects: P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General); B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion; D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D731 World War II
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > Theology and Religious Studies
• Journal Name: Theology and Sexuality
• ISSN: 1355-8358
• ISSN (Online): 1745-5170