Editorial: Emancipatory Ways of Feeling (the Body as a Subversive Project)

This editorial intends to contribute to the ― open ― program of soma design by bringing up two moments of rupture in the dualistic concep­tion that opposes the mind to the body. First ― through the feminist reading of Moira Gatens ―, certain ideas formulated by Baruch Spinoza, implicit in soma design, are made explicit with emphasis on those referring to the radical open­ness of the body (to the interrelation with other bodies) and the capacities of the body as an object capable of expanding and actualizing its power. Secondly ― through Georges Vigarello ―, some postulates developed by Denis Diderot concerning the senses and embodied epistemology are highlighted, in partic­ular those that paved the way for us to understand how the modes of perception of the body affect the perception of ourselves and, therefore, our sense of iden­tity. These moments of rupture are linked to the emergence of an emancipatory ethics, committed to the plurality of bodies. Finally, a call is made to promote the rebellious impetus of the body through somatic methods that recognize the various oppressive and disciplined ways of feeling, as well as the power relations inscribed in the phenomenology of bodily experience.