Judith Butler (1956 -) is an American academic. Her theories of gender performance have influenced cultural theory and feminism in the late 20th century. Judith deconstructs the traditional notions of gender identity. Her theories have greatly impacted archaeology, leading to studies on the archaeology of gender.
Judith Butler’s important works include –
Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990)
Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of “Sex” (1993)
Excitable Speech: A Politics of the Performative (1996)
The Psychic Life of Power: Theories in Subjection (1997)
Antigone’s Claim: Kinship Between Life and Death (2000)
Undoing Gender (2004)
Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence (2004)
Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable? (2009)
Parting Ways: Jewishness and the Critique of Zionism (2012)
The Force of Nonviolence (2020)
Dispossession: The Performative in the Political (2021)
What World is This? A Pandemic Phenomenology (2022)
Who’s Afraid of Gender? (2024)
IMPORTANT TENETS OF BUTLER’S THEORY ON PERFORMING GENDER
Gender results from performance—gender is “what we do” and not “what we are.” How we behave, speak, act, and dress makes us “masculine or feminine.” When people repeat specific actions, they become a “norm,” a social construct.
Gender is fluid —gender is not fixed. There is nothing termed “normal” or “true” gender. Repeated actions/performances give people the impression that we have a stable “gender identity.”
Gender can be subverted/changed – if we stop performing the “normal” gender roles, we can subvert or challenge “the normal masculine or feminine.”
Gender is shaped by power systems, culture, tradition, and social rules – society and power systems have formulated rules and cultural constructs that tell people how to act as a “man” or a “woman.” This expectation influences our gender performance and eventually makes it normal/natural.
Gender is diverse – many people tend to subscribe to a binary view, classifying gender strictly as male or female. This perspective is limiting, and it is termed “heteronormativity”. Instead, gender should be understood as a spectrum with many possibilities.
Gender is cited—Butler introduces the concept of “citationality.” According to this, all previous gender performances are cited. We “cite” gender through repeated actions like wearing accessories, using specific language nuances, etc. These actions are socially coded as “feminine or “masculine” and are part of our gender identity, which is learned rather than something we are born with.
“Gender trouble” is progress—when our “gender” doesn’t fit the usual norms, there arises “gender trouble.” Gender trouble happens in progressive societies that challenge the idea that gender is fixed, eventually opening new gender spectrums.
Drag performance & gender identity – Butler examines drag performances. Drag is a performance art that involves exaggerated gender expression, usually for entertainment. It often involves cross-dressing, including dancing, singing and comedy skits. Drag queens are generally men who perform in a feminine way, while drag kings are usually women who perform in a masculine way. Drag originated in British theatre and may trace back to Shakespeare’s time, when men performed female roles. Butler studies drag performances to show how they disrupt traditional gender norms and how performances enact subversion and resistance.
Gender and disidentification – Butler builds on the works of José Esteban Muñoz on disidentification. Disidentification is a misrecognition that occurs when subjects simultaneously see and fail to see desirable identifications. For example, a 1950s Physique Pictorial magazine photo shows a man’s attractive physique. It identifies itself as masculinely dominant at the time. But at the same time, it circulated mainly among the gay men of the time. Thus, it is a form of disidentification where the simultaneous identification with the masculinity represented and yet the use of that masculinity for homoerotic ends and interests run counter to the stark heterosexist aims of most “muscle magazines.”
Body as a contested site – Butler argues that the body is a contested site where gender norms are negotiated and challenged. It highlights the physical dimension of gender performativity.
Gender and queer time – Butler explores queer time, suggesting that time can shape gender identity and challenge linear narratives of development. Queer time offers an alternative to the idea that people should stop certain behaviours or practices because they are too old for them. The word “adulting” refers to behaving like an adult, which typically signals the right time to get married, have children, settle down, and so on.
WORKS CITED
Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. Routledge, 1990.
Butler, Judith. Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of “Sex”. Routledge, 1993.
Butler, Judith. Undoing Gender. Routledge, 2004.
Butler, Judith. “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory.” The Drama Review, vol. 31, no. 3, 1987, pp. 519-531.
Butler, Judith. “Gender Trouble.” Theories of Sexuality: A Reader, edited by Stephen Whittle, Sage, 2002, pp. 126-133. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26758160.
“Judith Butler: Gender Trouble and the Performativity of Gender.” The British Library, 21 Nov. 2019, http://www.bl.uk/20th-century-literature/articles/judith-butler-gender-trouble-and-the-performativity-of-gender.
“Judith Butler on Gender and Performativity.” The Feminist Wire, 10 Sept. 2014, thefeministwire.com/2014/09/judith-butler-gender-and-performativity/.
Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan is a teacher, bilingual writer and artist with over two decades of experience in teaching English language and literature. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of English at NSS College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Her blog, ashlit.in brings together academic resources, creative writing in Malayalam and English, and visual art. The platform features lecture notes, study materials, poems, reflections, short prose, and a curated collection of her paintings. Through this space, she seeks to foster learning, creativity, and meaningful engagement with literature and the arts.
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