Who is Julie Kristeva from Literary Theory: An Introduction and what is their importance?

Julia Kristeva is a feminist philosopher. She believed that language was an intrinsically male-dominated and sexist force, and that it is through the acceptance of language that people are subjected to gender roles. Thus, language is a tool of male domination and feminine oppression. While language cannot be altogether abandoned, Kristeva suggests the subversion of language by use of the semiotic order. The semiotic is the pre-Oedipal pseudo-language which consists of the chaotic mixture of drives and impulses in the child's mind. Since this semiotic "language" is pre-Oedipal, it is non-gendered and therefore not subject to the same sexist influences as language.