Reflection: Difference and Subjectivity

Prompts to consider

• Irigaray argues that the 'universal' subject of philosophy is implicitly masculine. Can you identify a concept, institution, or practice in your own life where the supposedly universal standard turns out to reflect a particular perspective, masculine, white, Western, able-bodied, or otherwise?
• The concept of the 'interval', the irreducible gap between two different subjects, is central to Irigaray's positive vision. What would it mean to fully respect the interval in a relationship, rather than collapsing difference into sameness?
• Irigaray's critics say her emphasis on sexual difference risks essentialism and excludes non-binary identities. Her defenders say the interval model actually creates more space for difference than universalism does. Which reading do you find more compelling, and why?