Judith Butler

However, there are a few premises to her theory that should be noted. The first is how Butler argues gender is separate from sex and sexuality. In fact, Butler goes as far as to say “gender is the cultural meaning that the sexed body assumes” (Butler, Gender, pg. 6). In other words, Butler is arguing gender exists because society has placed one’s biological sex on a pedestal of importance. A second premise to Butler’s gender performativity…

(Kushamiro, 2000) What occurs within this framework is that it normalizes the usage of men and womyn as the basis of the curriculum, and in turn does not question the normalcy of how we feel about the differences outside of the framework. As Judith Butler observed, “Sex is gender, is sexual positionality”, a notion that I believe is heavily taught within the social construct of the discipline, which then perpetuates the man and womyn oppositional framework. “Does teaching in traditionally…

This study started from engaging two equally assertive women in dialogue: Margery Kempe from six centuries ago, and Judith Butler of our own time. Butler describes how Discourse, through performativity, works its trick: gender norms are set up, nonconformity disciplined and the non-conformer reduced to silence or destroyed. Margery Kempe, with body and words, shows how performativity may backfire, undergirded by alternative discourses and producing non-conforming performances. Indeed,…

Autonomy, Judith Butler talks about the correct path to attain human rights in connection to autonomy and community. Butlers struggle finding the right balance between the two in order to achieve success in the political arena connects greatly with the ideas of Appiah in Race, Culture, Identity: Misunderstood Connections, and my own personal experiences with the law. Throughout Butler’s essay, she struggles with the concept of balancing autonomy and community when it comes to human rights.…

Not only are social norms important to a society, but they can also have consequences. Judith Butler, in her essay entitled “Beside Oneself: On the Limits of Sexual Autonomy” from Undoing Gender, explains, “Nothing can exist as an element of knowledge if, on one hand, it… does not conform to a set of rules…” (27) If one violates the social norms set forth by their society, they often experience negative consequences. If something is not within the norms of society, than it should not be done.…

Subjection, Judith Butler takes a neutral stance to discuss the topic of how the power a subordinated subject holds is contradictory. As a society, a subject does not instinctively choose to be subordinated by an external force. However, a subject relies on this subordination to keep control over their life and give them self identity. The self identity comes from an external power who preaches a subject’s worth until it has been internalized and the subject projects the image. Butler references…

What Is It to be Considered a Specific Gender While Judith Butler’s claim in her essay “From Undoing Gender” is challenging, complex, and comprehensible, she provides somewhat enough evidence and analysis of David Reimer’s case to prove her claim that society uses language to set the norms of what a gender should be and how one should act in accordance with one’s gender. First, Butler’s use of David Reimer’s case, known as “the John/Joan case” ("Interview: John Colapinto”), “a boy who…

Judith Butler's text, Giving an Account of Oneself takes up the topic of morals and the part of account recounting one's story inside the setting of subject-arrangement. She begins her text by explaining to the audience that she isn't occupied with just combining moral conventions, but instead in building up an overall new moral system. The text starts with a survey of notable moral conventions and a suggesting of new conversation starters. Butler is occupied with setting up what she refers to…

of the family. In North America, men are expected to take the woman out on a date while women handle taking care of the children. But Judith Butler in her essay "Gender Trouble", disagrees with gender roles. Butler talks about the heterosexual matrix; people believe that certain behaviors belong to a certain gender and that this was a natural occurrence. But Butler states that is not natural rather it is an act put on by people so that they can adhere to the rules established by culture. Gender…

Judith Butler refers to gender as “the apparatus by which the production and normalization of masculine and feminine take place along with the interstitial forms of hormonal, chromosomal, psychic, and performative that gender assumes.” (Butler, 2004) Gender is a vehicle people use to traverse through life. It is a tool used to experience life. However, gender brings many significant problems to society like violence against women, gender roles, trans-misogyny, economic inequality, and rape…