Studies in Philosophy and Education 20: 521–534, 2001. © 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. 521 The Absent Body of Girls Made Visible: Embodiment as the Focus in Education BARBARA SATINA 1 and FRANCINE HULTGREN 2 1 Kinesiology Department, The Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, USA; 2 Department of Education Policy and Leadership, University of Maryland, Maryland, USA Abstract. The purpose of this article is to show the ways in which education can be centered on the body as the subject of experience, rather than as an object or an absent entity. Pedagogical practices that emphasize a conscious awareness of embodiment provide opportunities for students to learn in a holistic manner. Since the body is the way in which we experience the world, mediating all processes of learning, all experience is therefore embodied (Levin, 1985). Recognizing the body as subject of being rather than as object acknowledges that beneath the attempts to separate aspects of our being, which often occurs in educational settings, there exists an underlying, unified being that is not subject to separation (Welton, 1998). The bodies of girls have traditionally been relegated to absent entities within the learning environ- ment, including in physical education. A meaningful education, one that embraces embodiment, would balance different types of learning experiences, so that the various aspects of being are all considered and blended. Such a holistic approach to schooling would occur by providing an environ- ment in which the needs of all students are valued through efforts that defy the cultural stereotypes and preconceptions of the larger society. Key words: bodily competence, embodiment, gender equity, physical education The Body as the Subject of Experience Exploring the meaning of the body, and especially the manner and extent to which the body is absent in our consciousness for females, will serve to open us phenomenologically to embodiment. In this article, a view of educational prac- tices that recognize the body as the subject of human experience, an embodied perspective, will be explored. A pedagogy of embodiment, in which students are encouraged to develop their awareness of the body, will be revealed. This is partic- ularly crucial for female students, who have traditionally been limited in physical endeavors by culturally imposed gender role restrictions. In contrast, an educa- tion that recognizes the essential nature of human experience as embodied will be viewed. “We do not ‘have’ a body; rather, we ‘are’ bodily” (Heidegger, 1979, pp. 98– 99). The body is the way in which we experience the world, mediating all processes of learning (Johnson, 1987; Levin, 1985). We experience the world from and with the body; we are embodied (Leder, 1990). Educators should recognize the