Uppeldi og menntun - 01.01.2002, Page 280

ABSTRACT
Where is the queen? Human sexual cells and sex organs in Icelandic scholarly and ed-
ucational literature
During the last two decades, new theories about conception have merged. Emily
Martin (1999) has argued that prototypes of the two sexes are apparent in old and
new texts on conception. Moscovici (1993) has studied how ideas of new and unfa-
miliar phenomena are coloured by existing ideas of a concept. Although new
knowledge is created, new discourse may not be used simultaneously to describe this
new knowledge. Old metaphors are used, and the textual structure even reminds one
of well-known tale telling. The risk is that the new knowledge will be shaped by
acknowledged ideas at each point in time. The article argues that this is the case with
the discourse about conception by scientists and by authors of educational texts.
This qualitative research applies discourse analysis to sexual cells and sex organs
in Icelandic educational texts. This article compares the theories about conception
with fairy tales where the principal ideology behind the descriptions of conception
resembles a fairy tale on dating, rather than a scientific narrative of cells. What has
proven to be the most long-lasting typology is a kind of Grimms' fairy tale where the
knight on the white horse saves the helpless princess from eternal condemnation.
With new discoveries that proved the functionality of the ova, Martin (1999) analysed
new prototypes in the scholarly literature; the second fairy tale emerged. The ovum
was referred to as an aggressive sperm catcher, covered with adhesive molecules that
can capture a sperm with a single bond and clasp it to the ovum's surface. She conclu-
ded that the attempt was to make the 'active' modern woman mistrustful, as she was
dangerous and mistreated men; a true 'femme fatale'. The third fairy tale is Scott
Gilbert's theory (reference?), which reminds one of the relationship of Romeo and
Juliet, where the functionality of both and the attraction that both sex cells have on
each other is acknowledged.
This research indicates that the prototypes of the sexes can be found in the bulk of
educational literature, through the selection of words, views and the ideology that
underlies the description of sexual organs and genitals. Icelandic school biology texts
most commonly used from 1914 to 2001 were examined. Most drew up an exag-
gerated version of the Grimms' fairy tale, where the sperm is the sole doer. Several
had less glorified descriptions of the sperm's heroic achievements with the focus
more on the merge of sperm and ovum. Only one book approached the ovum positi-
vely, as the doer, but without further explanations. In some books it was apparent
that male sexual organs were considered more important and were supreme to those
of women. These conclusions were derived from the research questions of the school-
books' authors, the approach used by the authors, and the concepts used to describe
sexual organs. For example, the upper part of the penis is called the king in Iceland-
ic but where is the queen in women's sexual organs?
Berglind Rós Magnúsdóttir
er menntaður grunnskólakennari og meistaranemi í
' uppeldis- og menntunarfræði við Háskóla íslands.
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