Judith Butler's Notion of Gender Performativity
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171 Subverting Lévi-Strauss's Structuralism
Humanitas, 2020; 8(16): 171-186 http://dergipark.gov.tr/humanitas ISSN: 2645-8837 DOI: 10.20304/humanitas.729077 SUBVERTING LÉVI-STRAUSS’S STRUCTURALISM: READING GENDER TROUBLE AS “TWISTED BRICOLAGE” Anlam FİLİZ1 Abstract This article critically analyzes Judith Butler’s presentation of Claude Lévi-Strauss in her book Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1999). In this book, Butler criticizes feminists for employing Lévi-Strauss’s binary oppositions and their use of the sex/gender binary in their critique of patriarchy. Butler’s analysis provides a fruitful lens to understand how gender operates. However, as the article shows, this analysis relies on a misrepresentation of Lévi-Strauss’s take on these dualities. Employing Lévi-Strauss’s term “bricolage,” the article reads Butler’s misinterpretation as a twisted form of bricolage, which destabilizes certain assumptions in Lévi-Strauss’s structuralism. The article presents an example of how Lévi-Strauss’s structural theory has influenced not only feminist theory but also its critique. The article also aims at providing an alternative way to understand influential gender theorist Judith Butler’s misinterpretation of other scholars. 171 Keywords: Claude Lévi-Strauss, Judith Butler, Gender Trouble, twisted bricolage, structuralism, subversion LÉVI-STRAUSS’UN YAPISALCILIĞINI ALTÜST ETMEK: CİNSİYET BELASI’NI “BÜKÜLMÜŞ BRİCOLAGE” OLARAK OKUMAK Öz Bu makale, Judith Butler’ın Cinsiyet Belası: Feminizm ve Kimliğin Altüst Edilmesi (1999) adlı kitabında etkili yapısal antropolog Claude Lévi-Strauss’u sunuşunu eleştirel bir şekilde analiz eder. Bu kitapta Butler feministleri, ataerkil düzen eleştirilerinde Lévi-Strauss’un ikili karşıtlıklarını ve cinsiyet/toplumsal cinsiyet ikiliğini kullandıkları için eleştirir. Butler’ın analizi, toplumsal cinsiyetin nasıl işlediğini anlamak için verimli bir mercek sağlar. -
Performative Speech Act Verbs in Present Day English
PERFORMATIVE SPEECH ACT VERBS IN PRESENT DAY ENGLISH ELENA LÓPEZ ÁLVAREZ Universidad Complutense de Madrid RESUMEN. En esta contribución se estudian los actos performativos y su influencia en el inglés de hoy en día. A partir de las teorías de J. L. Austin, entre otros autores, se desarrolla un panorama de esta orientación de la filosofía del lenguaje de Austin. PALABRAS CLAVE. Actos performativos, enunciado performativo, inglés. ABSTRACT. This paper focuses on performative speech act verbs in present day English. Reading the theories of J. L. Austin, among others,. With the basis of authors as J. L. Austin, this paper develops a brief landscape about this orientation of Austin’s linguistic philosophy. KEY WORDS. Performative speech act verbs, performative utterance, English. 1. INTRODUCCIÓN 1.1. HISTORICAL THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1.1. The beginnings: J.L. Austin The origin of performative speech acts as we know them today dates back to the William James Lectures, the linguistic-philosophical theories devised and delivered by J.L. Austin at Harvard University in 1955, and collected into a series of lectures entitled How to do things with words, posthumously published in 1962. Austin was one of the most influential philosophers of his time. In these lectures, he provided a thorough exploration of performative speech acts, which was an extremely innovative area of study in those days. In the following pages, Austin’s main ideas (together with some comments by other authors) will be presented. 1.1.1.1. Constative – performative distinction In these lectures, Austin begins by making a clear distinction between constative and performative utterances. -
Performativity SunCana Laketa, Institute of Geography, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Performativity Suncana Laketa, Institute of Geography, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This article is a revision of the previous edition article by D. P. McCormack, volume 8, pp 133–136, © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. Glossary Agency Is an ability of the subject to act. In other words, it is a capacity of both human and nonhuman subjects to produce a specific effect. Discourse Refers to implicit, taken-for-granted, and often unspoken sets of ideas and ways of knowing that are imbued with power. As a set of ideas and ways of knowing, discourse gives meaning to written and spoken language. Identity Is an articulation of one’s social affiliation, both individually and as a group. Materiality Refers to the objects and substances that constitute matterdhuman and nonhuman bodies, nature, elements, and things. Representation Is a process of giving meaning to objects and things through linguistic signs and symbols. Sociospatial practices Refer to activities such as walking, talking, driving, playing, and numerous other everyday practices that produce and reproduce both society and space. Space In human geography is not a fixed and bounded physical location, but a set of complex and intertwined social relations that take place in, and shape, the physical dimensions of space. Some authors differentiate between space and place; they define place as a process of ascribing meaning to undifferentiated space. Others, however, use both terms interchangeably. Spatiality Signifies an attribute or a feature that is related to space. In human geography, the term refers to the way space is implicated in social life. -
Transgendering Nietzsche: Male Mothers and Phallic Women in Derrida’S Spurs
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Kingston University Research Repository Transgendering Nietzsche: Male Mothers and Phallic Women in Derrida’s Spurs Willow Verkerk As Derrida himself notes, Nietzsche is a thinker who seems at once misogynistic and sympathetic (Derrida 1979, 57). Pursuing the sympathetic reading further, we may ask whether there is also an emancipatory character to Nietzsche’s writings on woman. This is a contentious question; however, it is one that Derrida entertains by his proposal that Nietzsche’s feminisms and anti-feminisms are connected or have a larger “congruence” (Derrida 1979, 57). Nietzsche’s attack on feminism is done in defence of what he and Derrida conceive to be feminine power. In Spurs this is reflected in two threads: one in which woman as a position is opened up to those who are not cisgender women; the other in which cisgender women are disciplined into femininity as their ideal location for power. Derrida draws mostly on The Gay Science but he is also interested in the Preface to Beyond Good and Evil where Nietzsche declares, “Supposing truth is a woman—what then?” Derrida turns to the Preface of Beyond in order to show that there is a close relationship between woman and truth and that Nietzsche is utilizing the concept of woman in itself (Weib an sich) in order to question the coherence of ‘Truth’ and the presumptions of the philosopher “who believes in the truth that is woman, who believes in truth just as he believes in woman” (Derrida 1979, 53). -
The Subject of Critique Ricœur in Dialogue with Feminist Philosophers
The Subject of Critique Ricœur in Dialogue with Feminist Philosophers Annemie Halsema VU-University Amsterdam Abstract This paper aims to show the relevance of Ricœur’s notion of the self for postmodern feminist theory, but also to critically assess it. By bringing Ricœur’s “self” into dialogue with Braidotti’s, Irigaray’s and Butler’s conceptions of the subject, it shows that it is close to the feminist self in that it is articulated into language, is embodied and not fully conscious of itself. In the course of the argument, the major point of divergence also comes to light, namely, that the former considers discourse to be a laboratory for thought experiments, while the latter consider discourse to be normative, restrictive and exclusive. In the second part, the possibility of critique and change are further developed. Ricœur does not rule out critique, rather interpretation includes distanciation and critique. Finally, his notion of productive imagination explains how new identifications become possible. Keywords: Self, Critique, Change, Irigaray, Butler Résumé Cet article vise à démontrer, en l'évaluant de manière critique, l’importance de la notion de soi chez Ricœur pour la théorie féministe postmoderne. Mettant en dialogue sa pensée avec celle de Braidotti, d’Irigaray et de Butler, l'auteure montre que la notion ricoeurienne de soi est assez proche de la pensée féministe. Car le soi est articulé dans la langue, il est incarné et pas entièrement conscient de lui-même. Après avoir cherché à montrer la proximité des deux styles de pensée, l'auteure attarde sur le point crucial de leur divergence. -
Head Games: Conceptualizing Judith Butler's Idea of the Materiality Of
Head Games: Conceptualizing Judith Butler’s Idea of the Materiality of Sex in Bodies That Matter Amanda Piccarreto ABSTRACT: This essay discusses Judith Butler’s concept, “materiality of the body,” and illustrates the power of repetitive language, which arguably structures the binary systems not only of gender, but also of sex.. This essay raises ethically-important questions in order to provoke thought about the oppressive nature of projecting language onto our bodies by labeling them based on certain parts; the biological and psychological problems with a binary idea of gender and sex; and the innate inequality created by separating people into sexes, which is the heart of gender-based violence. Head Games: Conceptualizing Judith Butler’s Idea of the Materiality of Sex in Bodies That Matter Amanda Piccarreto “Oral sex” perfectly exemplifies the importance of language. Language is laden with the invisible power to create images that stick with us through repetition, thus evoking specific emotions, which is necessary in literature and art, but poses a problem when projected onto the body in an attempt to construct set ideas on gender and sex. The way I started this essay may have surprised you because two simple words can create an entire scenario in your mind, and using them out of that context causes shock and confusion. When using the term “oral sex,” I mean applying spoken language to our bodies, thus creating fixed notions of sex and gender. In Bodies That Matter, Judith Butler explores this concept, which she calls “materiality of the body,” and raises awareness of the dangers involved in doing so. -
Uyghur Dispossession, Culture Work and Terror Capitalism in a Chinese Global City Darren T. Byler a Dissertati
Spirit Breaking: Uyghur Dispossession, Culture Work and Terror Capitalism in a Chinese Global City Darren T. Byler A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2018 Reading Committee: Sasha Su-Ling Welland, Chair Ann Anagnost Stevan Harrell Danny Hoffman Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Anthropology ©Copyright 2018 Darren T. Byler University of Washington Abstract Spirit Breaking: Uyghur Dispossession, Culture Work and Terror Capitalism in a Chinese Global City Darren T. Byler Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Sasha Su-Ling Welland, Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies This study argues that Uyghurs, a Turkic-Muslim group in contemporary Northwest China, and the city of Ürümchi have become the object of what the study names “terror capitalism.” This argument is supported by evidence of both the way state-directed economic investment and security infrastructures (pass-book systems, webs of technological surveillance, urban cleansing processes and mass internment camps) have shaped self-representation among Uyghur migrants and Han settlers in the city. It analyzes these human engineering and urban planning projects and the way their effects are contested in new media, film, television, photography and literature. It finds that this form of capitalist production utilizes the discourse of terror to justify state investment in a wide array of policing and social engineering systems that employs millions of state security workers. The project also presents a theoretical model for understanding how Uyghurs use cultural production to both build and refuse the development of this new economic formation and accompanying forms of gendered, ethno-racial violence. -
Under Western Eyes Revisited: Feminist Solidarity Through
“Under Western Eyes” Revisited: Feminist Solidarity through Anticapitalist Struggles Author(s): Chandra Talpade Mohanty Reviewed work(s): Source: Signs, Vol. 28, No. 2 (Winter 2003), pp. 499-535 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/342914 . Accessed: 11/04/2012 00:27 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The University of Chicago Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Signs. http://www.jstor.org Chandra Talpade Mohanty “Under Western Eyes” Revisited: Feminist Solidarity through Anticapitalist Struggles write this essay at the urging of a number of friends and with some trepidation, revisiting the themes and arguments of an essay written I some sixteen years ago. This is a difficult essay to write, and I undertake it hesitantly and with humility—yet feeling that I must do so to take fuller responsibility for my ideas, and perhaps to explain whatever influence they have had on debates in feminist theory. “Under Western Eyes” (1986) was not only my very first “feminist stud- ies” publication; it remains the one that marks my presence in the inter- national feminist community.1 I had barely completed my Ph.D. -
Performance, Not Performativity: an Embodied Critique of Post-Structural IR Theory
Performance, Not Performativity: An Embodied Critique of Post-Structural IR Theory Ringmar, Erik 2014 Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Ringmar, E. (2014). Performance, Not Performativity: An Embodied Critique of Post-Structural IR Theory. Paper presented at Performativity and Agency in International Politics, Goethe Universitet, Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Total number of authors: 1 General rights Unless other specific re-use rights are stated the following general rights apply: Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Read more about Creative commons licenses: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. LUND UNIVERSITY PO Box 117 221 00 Lund +46 46-222 00 00 Download date: 04. Oct. 2021 Performance, Not Performativity: An Embodied Critique of Post-structural IR Theory Erik Ringmar, Lund University, Sweden Much of what takes place in world politics is best described not as events but as performances. Things are not just happening by themselves, but they are staged and made to happen, and to appear, in a certain fashion. -
Michel Foucault and Judith Butler: Troubling Butler’S Appropriation of Foucault’S Work
CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Warwick Research Archives Portal Repository University of Warwick institutional repository: http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap/1965 This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. Michel Foucault and Judith Butler: Troubling Butler’s Appropriation of Foucault’s Work by Kathleen Ennis A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy University of Warwick, Department of Philosophy July 2008 Contents Acknowledgements iv Declaration v Abstract vi Note on the Translation of Key Terms in Foucault‘s Work vii Introduction 1 Interpreting Butler‘s Work 7 Power-Knowledge, Discourse and Norms 10 Interpreting Foucault‘s Work 15 1 Butler: Power and Genealogy 23 Foucault, Hegel and Nietzsche 25 Foucault and Psychoanalysis 34 Genealogy and the Naturalization of Sex 41 Subjugated Knowledges, Genealogy and Discourse 50 2 Butler: Performativity and Psychoanalysis 63 From Inscription to Performativity 66 Power, Interpellation, Resistance and Hate Speech 77 A Psychoanalytic Critique of Foucault 86 Repression, Subject and Psyche 98 3 Discursive Practice and Archaeological Method: The Archaeology of Knowledge -
What Do We Mean by Performativity in Organization and Management Studies? the Uses and Abuses of Performativity1
What do we mean by performativity in organization and management studies? The uses and abuses of performativity1 Jean-Pascal Gond Cass Business School, City University London [email protected] Laure Cabantous Cass Business School, City University London [email protected] Nancy Harding Bradford University School of Management Emm Lane [email protected] Mark Learmonth Durham University Business School, Ushaw College, [email protected] Abstract John Austin introduced the formulation “performative utterance” in his 1962 book How to do things with words. This term and the related concept of performativity have subsequently been interpreted in numerous ways by social scientists and philosophers such as Lyotard, Butler, Callon, or Barad, leading to the co-existence of several foundational perspectives on performativity. In this paper we review and evaluate critically how organization and management theory (OMT) scholars have used these perspectives, and how the power of performativity has, or has not, stimulated new theory-building. In performing a historical and critical review of performativity in OMT, our analysis reveals the uses, abuses and under- uses of the concept by OMT scholars. It also reveals the lack of both organizational conceptualizations of performativity and analysis of how performativity is organized. Ultimately our aim is to provoke a ‘performative turn’ in OMT by unleashing the power of the performativity concept to generate new and stronger organizational theories. Key-words: Austin, Organization theory, Performativity, Translation, Theory-building !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1!A version of this paper is currently under review at the International Journal of Management Reviews.! ! 1! What do we mean by performativity in organization and management studies? The uses and abuses of performativity 1. -
Developing a Corporeal Cyberfeminism: Beyond Cyberutopia
Article new media & society 12(6) 929–945 Developing a corporeal © The Author(s) 2010 Reprints and permission: http://www. cyberfeminism: beyond sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermission.nav DOI: 10.1177/1461444809350901 cyberutopia http://nms.sagepub.com Jessica E. Brophy University of Maine, USA Abstract This article discusses – and rejects – cyberutopia, an idealized theory of internet use that requires users to leave their bodies behind when online. The author instead calls for a cyberfeminist perspective in relation to studying the internet and other new media, centrally locating corporeality and embodiment. The underutilized concept of intra-agency is then employed to develop liminality in relation to the experience of going online. The author then outlines different versions of cyberfeminism and endorses that which addresses the relationships between the lived experiences of users and the technology itself. The article concludes with a call for theorists to expand and enrich the concepts used to study new media. Key words body, corporeality, cyberfeminism, dualism, gender, ntra-agency, liminality, torsion There are no utopian spaces anywhere except in the imagination. (Grosz, 2001: 19) Many of the early discourses surrounding the internet were utopian in nature, claiming that the disembodied nature of online spaces creates an egalitarian online experience, devoid of the discrimination attributed to the embodied experience. Feminists, in particular, have been quick to assess the possibilities of gender bending (Danet, 1998), online activism and connectivity (Hawthorne and Klein, 1999), though not all feminists have uncritically accepted the internet as a potentially utopian medium (Kramarae, 1998; Stabile, 1994). This article recognizes the importance of exploring the feminist potentialities of disembodied and dislocated online interaction, yet calls for a more nuanced approach to understanding the role of the body and materialism in studies of the internet.