Judith Butler Research Articles

Technologies of the Self and Accounts of Oneself: Political and Aesthetic Elaboration of Heterotopic and Unframed Experience

The aim of this article is to reflect on two possibilities of political and aesthetical experience that can transform oneself. We dialogue with the reflections of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler on the techniques of the self and political subjectivation, which offer us a perspective of resistance and experimentation, to characterize the transformative power of heterotopic and unframing experience. Through a theoretical approach, we intend to bring points of approximation into play considering the necessity to promote changes in the frameworks that structure the architecture of the visible, sayable and thinkable. These alterations are a product, simultaneously, of the emergence of processes of political subjectivation and the unframing of schemes of biopolitical control which allows disidentification with an imposed identity, modifying the relations between elements that locate subjects and group in a given social order. Both authors affirm the importance of questioning schemes of legibility and intelligibility of the world so that we can imagine and effectively build a common non-hierarchic order, that recognizes the dignity of all existences. We believe that heterotopic experiences, as well as unframing experiences can be disruptive and transformative, for they rely on the double capacity to critically reflect on the power-knowledge relations that constitute one's subjectivity and the capacity to engage in self-transformation practices that can modify the way one engages in community issues.

Neverending 90s in Serbia

Right-wing actors—conservative politicians, public intellectuals, and the Serbian Orthodox Church—have been influential in contemporary Serbia since the early 1990s, playing a formative role in its anti-gender movement. This study advances our understanding of how anti-gender mobilization draws from its local context. Drawing on Judith Butler’s concept of gender phantasm and Andrea Pető’s concept of gender as symbolic glue, this analysis examines two documents: the 1992 “Warning” resolution and Patriarch Pavle’s 1995 Christmas message. These texts enable mapping of actors and succinctly encapsulate the ideological imaginaries of the conservative elite who remain active. The ideological imaginary uniquely draws from rhetoric used to justify regional wars, serving as the phantasmic foundation of contemporary anti-gender mobilizations. Since right-wing actors operated within a contested space, the study acknowledges the unwavering feminist and pacifist left-wing opposition.

TERF Intimate Publics

This article asks: how does trans-exclusionary radical feminism (TERFism) function to create an intimate public that generates a sense of belonging along gendered and racialized lines? Drawing from Judith Butler, I use “fascism” as a conceptual frame while analyzing online images and sentiments of a trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) who belongs to an Australian anti-gender Facebook group. I argue that TERF intimate publics are constituted by feelings of loss and resentment which become alleviated through claiming legitimacy along a “natural” gendered and racialized hierarchy of human worth, through demanding a return of one’s “sex-based rights,” and through a commitment to victimhood. Generating pride in a perceived endangered identity, this article finds that TERF intimate publics uphold the regulatory norms of cis-heteronormativity and whiteness. This analysis reveals that they offer a space for racist nationalism rooted in cis-hetero-misogyny, a crucial finding as TERFism gains traction in the current political moment.

Taming the Tomboy: Girl Actresses as Prince Arthur in King John (1842–52)

This essay considers Miss Newcombe's and Kate Terry's genderfluid performances as Prince Arthur in William Shakespeare's King John in 1842 and 1852 as manifestations of staged tomboyism, or childhood female masculinity performed theatrically onstage. Employing Jack Halberstam's study of tomboyism and Judith Butler's theories of gender performativity and social construction of sex, I argue that child actresses Newcombe and Terry performed genderfluid tomboyism in their respective productions, but that such tomboyism was ultimately tamed through the editing of their character's speech. This is revealed through a reading of Charles Kean's production prompt book that shows Arthur's speech was edited to diminish masculine language and augment feminine language. Such editing suggests larger efforts to characterise the role of Arthur as feminine in order to prohibit unrestrained tomboyism onstage and preserve the ideals of gender politics and Victorian girlhood offstage.

Militaryzacja natury w powieści Siergieja Liebiediewa Ludzie sierpnia

This is a critical analysis of the war discourse in a two books, a volume of philoso-phical essays and a a work of fiction. They are Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable? (2009) by Judith Butler and People of August (2016), a novel by the contemporary Russian writer Sergei Lebedev. Both authors see war not as an discrete event on a timeline, but as a network of events that accumulate in time. This is especially evident in Lebediev's palimpsest of Russia's 20th-century history. The article examines closely the spatial ele-ments of the novel as well as its take on the relationship between human history (Russian totalitarianism) and nature.

Beyond binaries: deconstructing and redefining identity through ogbanje in Freshwater

ABSTRACT Contemporary African writers have changed their narratives to autochthonous culture with newer and self-affirmative perspectives that have broader concepts of identity and gender. This study aims to reinterpret the notion of identity and gender in Akwaeke Emezi’s Novel Freshwater (2018) in the context of Igbo culture. The article appropriates Du Bois’s double consciousness, Stuart Hall’s notion of fluid identity, and Judith Butler’s gender performativity to deconstruct the Western binaries that had fixated the existence into conformities. The article also explores Emezi’s counternarrative developed in the novel to reject the heteronormative notion of body confining gender into fixed categories. It foregrounds at the fluid and dynamic nature of human existence through Ada, an ogbanje, a free entity having fluid existence as human-spirit, tranimal, and trans-non-binary, not conformed to any categorical set of binaries being a host to multiple spirits with different sexual orientations. The article further emphasizes Ada’s identity and gender as dynamic and multifaceted always in a process of becoming rather innate or fixed to a particular category of any socio-cultural conventional modals. The article thus aims to decipher the fluid nature of ‘being’ and ‘existence’ showcasing the broader cultural concepts in Igbo Cosmology through the novel Freshwater.

Girls’ Schools in Sri Lanka

This article uses the case study of Sri Lankan women who went to Buddhist and Christian middle-class girls’ schools in Colombo and Kandy to examine the influence of affect on their intersectional lives. I use the theories of Judith Butler and Sara Ahmed on affect. Affects, they agree, emerge within the brinks of contact, it is the process of being acted upon (being affected) and acting on (affecting)—affect is a specific form of relation. This article interwaves the ethnographic findings with the theoretical discussions to progressively build on it and show precisely the relations between affect, language and intersectional identities. Buddhist and Muslim girls’ voices and experiences at middle-class girls’ schools in Sri Lanka will be examined from an intersectional perspective. I propose to think of affect as the binding glue of the frames of our intersectional identities.

Perspectives on Cross-Dressing in the University: Understanding Views on Gender Expression and Inclusivity in Advancing Sustainable Development Goal 5

Objective: This study aims to explore the perspectives of students and faculty on cross-dressing as a form of gender expression within the university. Specifically, it examines how these views influence the inclusivity of gender diversity in higher education and offers recommendations for improving institutional support for cross-dressers. Theoretical Framework: The research is grounded in Judith Butler's Gender Performativity Theory, which challenges traditional gender norms by framing gender as a social construct, and Queer Theory, which emphasizes the fluidity of gender identity and critiques heteronormative structures. Method: Using a parallel convergent mixed-methods design, the study surveyed 1,530 students and conducted semi-structured interviews with six faculty and two staff members. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, while thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data. Results and Discussion: The findings reveal a growing acceptance of cross-dressing in the university, with education and social media as key factors influencing positive attitudes. However, conservative cultural and religious beliefs continue to limit full acceptance. Institutional policies supporting gender inclusivity exist but are often inadequately implemented, leading to discrimination and social challenges for cross-dressing students. Research Implications: The study highlights the need for stronger policy implementation, inclusivity training for faculty, and ongoing efforts to create a supportive campus culture. Originality/Value: This research contributes to the limited body of knowledge on cross-dressing in Philippine higher education, providing insights into the intersection of gender expression and inclusivity, and offering practical recommendations for fostering a more inclusive academic environment.

Corpo-inço como conceito de resistência

The relationships between gender, performativity, and monstrosity are explored in this paper based on the theories of Judith Butler and Paul B. Preciado, in conjunction with the concept of “corpo-inço”. The objective is to investigate how the concept of monstrosity, used by Preciado to critique naturalized gender normativities, relates to corpo-inço, a metaphor developed by Audrian Vinicius Cassanelli Griss to represent bodies that, like weed, resist and survive in hostile environments. The methodology involves a critical analysis of the works, highlighting the theoretical convergences between Butler's and Preciado's proposals applied to a paradigmatic case. Additionally, the reflections are expanded with contributions from Marcia Tiburi and Monique Wittig, which help deepen specific aspects of the discussion. The authors argue that sex and gender are social and historical constructs, which means we can reconsider and resignify our conceptions. Thus, the aim is to understand how these theoretical tools can help unveil gender norms. The findings indicate that the concept of corpo-inço favors an understanding that embraces different forms of existence marked by an intrinsic force of resistance, given its characteristic of existing in challenging contexts.

Studi Perbandingan Kehidupan Perempuan Transgender dalam Pasung Jiwa dan Anak Gembala yang Tertidur Panjang di Akhir Zaman

This research aims to compare the plot of the main character's journey to becoming a trans woman as her gender identity in the novel Pasung Jiwa by Okky Madasari and Anak Gembala Yang Tertidur Panjang di Akhir Zaman by A. Mustafa. This research uses a qualitative descriptive method with a comparative literature study. The theory used is Judith Butler's concept of gender performativity. Reading and note-taking techniques and literature study were the data collection techniques in this research. Data analysis techniques use data reduction techniques, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The research results obtained include in the novel Pasung Jiwa, the main character is said to be a trans woman because she is confined to pursuing her passion, namely singing dangdut, etc. The main character also experiences direct and indirect experiences of transphobia, as well as sexual violence, namely rape, etc. Meanwhile, in the novel Anak Gembala Yang Tertidur Panjang di Akhir Zaman, who insulted transvestite thugs, was under bad influence from his caretaker and idolized his beautiful mother.

The Politics of Representation: Arundhati Roy’s Re-framing of Media Narratives in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

In the current global scenario, media discourse has incontestably become one of the most powerful means of constructing the narratives which influence public response to the events occurring in the modern world. When the issue of media power is examined within the overarching paradigm of international media representation of events occurring in countries with a long-standing history of colonization, it becomes clear that earlier Orientalist attitudes are still potent in representing certain populations as inferior to and of lesser value than their Western counterparts. This essay will examine Arundahati Roy’s portrayal of media discourse in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017) in the light of Edward Said’s ideas of Orientalism and Judith Butler’s notions of the frames of recognition used in media discourse to show that certain lives are considered more valuable and grievable than others. This essay will also demonstrate how media representation can be placed within the framework of global capitalism with images and stories being circulated according to market demands of global media consumption. Maintaining that Roy’s attitude to media narratives in her novel is ambivalent and complex, this essay will argue that her representation of these media narratives within the larger frame of the novel is a subversive act that makes transparent the assumptions underlying media discourse and power. Spectrum, Volume 18, June 2023: 10-21

Gender and Its Discontents

Gender produces multiple discontents (unease, discomfort, embarrassment, irritation, annoyance) in society. With this straightforward thesis the author addresses the problem of gender—Butlerian “gender trouble”—as a form of cultural discontent or unease. During the ground-breaking and path-paving women’s, feminist, gay and lesbian movements, gender, then female gender, caused cultural irritation for the patriarchy of the then societies and continues to do so to this very day. However, with the recent transgender movement, this cultural unease about gender has taken on entirely new dimensions, including turning gender into an alarming issue, a threatening global specter and annoyingly omnipresent conflict not only in wider society but also in academia. These uneasy issues are here tackled in two ways, through the theory and practice of gender. The way subversive gender theory can trigger collective unease, even if it is falsely imposed, artificially induced, and manipulatively orchestrated, is shown using the example of the abuse of Judith Butler’s gender theory by polemicists in culture war debates surrounding gender and proponents and supporters of the anti-gender movement, clearly betraying their intention of harming communities of gender non-conforming people and those communities’ efforts towards social, political, and legal emancipation. The way transgressive gender practice can trigger relational discomfort in everyday interactions is illustrated through the author’s own “gender story” in the form of a short autoethnography of gender unease, to illustrate the problem of deep sex/gender binarism, essentialism, primordialism, perennialism, and naturalism permeating, completely spontaneously and unreflexively, all our thoughts, words, actions, relationships, institutions, and collectives.

Unraveling the self: How postmodern philosophy reshaped the narrative of personal identity

This paper examines the philosophies of Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, and Judith Butler, focusing on their insights into identity and individualism. While self-help literature often advocates fixed identities, this study argues for an alternative: existence as constant transformation, challenging stagnation in personal growth. Using a materialist lens, it explores identity through interactions of internal and external experiences with power dynamics. Postmodernists collectively highlight the self’s fluidity and its perpetual evolution. The goal is to assess their influence on understanding the self and explore implications for future narratives on identity.

Revisiting Antigone in Marina Carr’s Portia Coughlan (1996)

1990s Contemporary British Drama is epitomized with plays over which violence, cruelty, and abject depictions of selfhood reign in an attempt to propel a renegotiation of imposed normativity on the subject. Marina Carr, as a prominent contemporary Irish playwright writes plays that are experiential on a deeper level as she delves into characters that walk on the liminal borders between life and death. Marina Carr’s play Portia Coughlan represents a family enmeshed in the incest taboo, re-negotiates the subversive familial subjectification enforced on Portia, and explores the theme of a broken self, which is condensed by the loss of an irreplaceable brother. Interpreting Portia Coughlan as a re-evaluation of Sophocles’ Antigone, this article initiates discussion on the play by applying contemporary arguments on the intersections between Antigone, gender normativity, taboos, kinship, familial ties, and interior objectification of the subject as were discussed in Judith Butler’s Antigone’s Claim (2000). By questioning why gender is so crucial to our understanding of the self and why Portia and Antigone as tragic characters are left with no option but to die, this article aims to examine the function of ambiguity and uncontainable nature found in the heroines in regard to their treatment in plays as well as their premise in their respective cultural setting.

Critical Performativity Analysis of Religious Laws on Homosexual Discourse in Nigeria: A Study of “Under The Udala Trees” and “Born On A Tuesday”

This manuscript delves into the ideological underpinnings embedded in the traditional religious doctrines governing homosexuality. Leveraging insights from a curated selection of Nigerian literary works, it illuminates the thematic intersections of Christianity and Islam, seeking to unravel the symbolic nuances of Biblical and Quranic precepts on homosexuality. This exploration asserts that these ancient laws stand detached from the diverse sexual orientations prevalent in contemporary society. While there exists a rich tapestry of discourse encompassing aspects such as LGBTQ+ rights and identity formation, a significant void remains in the scholarly exploration of the religious dimensions of homosexuality. Addressing this lacuna, essential in shaping informed gay law policies in the African context. Drawing upon the seminal theories of Judith Butler’s “Gender Performativity” (1990) and Fairclough’s “Critical Discourse Analysis” (1995) as analytical lenses, this paper scrutinises two poignant literary narratives – “Under the Udala Trees” and “Born on a Tuesday”- offering a deep dive into the religious discourse on homosexuality they encapsulate. The findings illuminate the overarching universal ethos present in the reversed texts of Bible and Quran, evincing a grand design that accommodates the multifaceted tapestry of human behavior of sexual orientations. It compellingly argues that the homophobic undertones discernible in these texts are emblematic, anchored in historical contexts, rather than prescriptive mandates for the modern era.

Undoing manual labour: the performative force of female building workers

ABSTRACT Judith Butler’s influential writing on psychoanalytic, semiotic, linguistic and material-embodied gender performativity inspired a generation of geographers to advance critical understanding of labour and spaces of work. This paper adds to that progress by engaging with subsequent feminist, post-structuralist, materialist, and more-than-representational thinking that remains under-developed terrain for geographical studies of everyday work life. We offer ethnographic insights into on-site experiences of female building workers in China – career paths, labour practices, intimate spousal relations – evidence of (in)actions, trajectories, absences/presences, visual, vocal, linguistic, embodied, emotional, affective, material and (non)human registers of performative force. Overall, we explore more-and-less reflexive emerging, (re)surfacing, unfolding moments of meaningful, incongruent, incomplete, and contradictory ‘being’, ‘becoming’ and subjectivities ‘in-the-making’ that constitute female building workers’ undoing manual labour. Concluding, we offer theoretical, methodological and empirical reflections and signpost new research directions.

The Performative Body in the Virtual Environment of Video Games

This study focuses on the analysis of corporeality and its performativity in video games within the context of the player's interaction with digital nature. It examines games where nature acts as an active agent, influencing the bodily experiences of the character, such as fatigue, hunger, and adaptation to weather conditions. The application of Judith Butler's performativity theory helps to understand how corporeality in games is constructed through repetitive actions and interactions with the environment. The analysis includes the examination of gender representations, the deconstruction of binary oppositions, and the influence of interfaces on the player's perception of the body. The research demonstrates that corporeality in video games is a dynamic process that changes through interactions with nature and game mechanics, shaping unique forms of bodily experience. The findings contribute to understanding video games as a platform for rethinking corporeality and cultural norms.

‘Thou Shalt Not Kill’, or Affect and Ethics in a Spectacle of Distant Suffering: 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War Documentaries

This article explores the rhetorical interplay of affect and ethics in mediated violence within war documentaries, focusing on four films that portray the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war: Motherland (2022), 45 Days: The Fight for a Nation (2021), Invisible Republic (2022), and 1489 (2023). The analysis primarily employs a rhetorical method, while the theoretical framework builds on scholarship from three different areas of inquiry, thus engaging with Judith Butler’s philosophy of ethics, Wendy S. Hesford’s rhetorical theory of spectacle of distant suffering, and Sinnerbrink’s and Rossouw’s ideas on ethical experience through film. The article deploys as a leading trope Emmanuel Levinas’ ‘face’—a concept that communicates both the precarious life of the Other and the interdiction on violence—to gauge the rhetorical gesture in the establishment of relationality necessary for cinematic ethics to be transformational. Finally, the article offers theoretical propositions to better comprehend the intricate entanglements between affect, ethics, and war and their manifestation in the rhetorical choices of war documentary filmmakers.

Agamben’s Politics of the Performative

In this article I offer a critical examination of Giorgio Agamben’s vision of political liberation as it is articulated in his philosophy of language. Focusing on his affirmative politics as a particular kind of performance, I show that he has in mind a radically ‘pure’ performative that affirms only language as such. This conception is very different from other influential approaches to performativity in the contemporary scene of political thought, such as those developed by Jacques Derrida and Judith Butler. Rather than offering a meaningful alternative to these approaches, however, I argue that this pure performative makes visible the specific problems connected to Agamben’s model. Ultimately, Agamben risks affirming what he sees as problematic in political terms, namely the isolation of his preferred type of experience of language to a separate ‘sphere’. It is, moreover, questionable whether his performative points to a plausible model of political contestation in an age where careless and void utterances have become widespread.

Behind the Paper Veil: Exploring Performative Femininity in Susan Sontag’s As Consciousness is Harnessed to Flesh: Diaries 1964-1980

In 1990, Judith Butler’s work titled Gender Trouble introduced the definition of gender performativity into the critical discourse regarding gender identities. Butler’s definition, though initially pertaining to the social aspect of gender identity, delineates the performance of gender as an act of social self-expression. In the case of women, however, gender performativity has become a method of self-adjustment to patriarchal demands. Moreover, traces of performative femininity permeate the writing of female diarists who use their diaries not only as a site for self-creation, but also a tool for gaining social acceptance in a patriarchal environment through their performance of femininity. My analysis, focused on Susan Sontag’s As Consciousness is Harnessed to Flesh: Diaries 1964-1980, aims to reveal the influence of performative femininity onto her internal dialogue, and establish connection between both the causes and nature of her gender performance and her use of a diary as a site of performance.