Judith Butler (b.

1956--) Gender Trouble: Preface and Chap 3 (excerpt)

Rep rted b! " ni#ha(Chen$% &eili) '((3)11)* + te# ,dded in -reen b! .ate '((*)1')'1 /ue#ti n#: 1. 0hat are the difference# bet1een 2uce 3ri$ara!4# 5"i"icr!6 and Butler4# 5par d!%6 5i""itati n%6 5perf r"ance67 '. Butler4# the r! f $ender perf r"ati8it! deal# 1ith the cr ##in$-dre##in$% dra$ perf r"ance9etc% but if i"itatin$ the #a"e $ender% then 1hat i# the difference bet1een% f r in#tance% le#bian fe""e# and #trai$ht 1 "en7 &ach $a! "en and #trai$ht "en7 3. Butler4# the r! "ainl! f cu# n $ender% but 1hat 1ill happen if the di"en#i n# f cla##% ethnicit!% race9etc. "eet 1ith $ender7 *. 0here d 1e #ee : ucault4# influence n Butler% and h 1 are the t1 different7 5. ,re all t!pe# f $ender perf r"ance# #ub8er#i8e7 ;extb < 3ntr ducti n

Gender Trouble : Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (199() i# a f undin$ d cu"ent f =ueer the r! and a <e! #tate"ent f 5perf r"ati8e6 acc unt# f cultural "eanin$. ,r$u"ent# : -ender a# repetiti8e perf r"ati8e act# (p. '5(() + thin$ i# natural% n t e8en #exual identit!. ,nat "ical difference# can be experienced nl! thr u$h the cate$ rie# and expectati n# #et b! the culture4# #i$nif!in$ rder. >he re8eal# that the #ee"in$l! 5natural6 i# actuall! # ciall! c n#tructed and c ntin$ent. (culturall! and hi#t ricall!) (5re#i$nificati n6) cp. ( #ex ) $ender : bi $raphical ) cultural) >uch alterati n d e# n t c "e ea#il!. ( Fousault: 1) 5"icr -ph!#ic#6 techn l $! f #elf and $ender? b d! a# the #urface 1ith i"print f p 1er and hi#t r! p. '*91? # ul a# the pri# n f b d!? ') p 1er f di#cipline depend# n #ettin$ up the cri"inal r the "ar$inal #exualit! a# #cape$ at # that @cri"e4 i# u#ed t Au#tif! di#cipline? (Lacan4# #ubAect f r"ati n in lan$ua$e)

(Berrida4# 5citati n6 and 5repetiti n6) (J.2. ,u#tin C referential #peech act# perf r"ati8e#) Butler #ee# 5#ex6 and 5$ender6 a# citati nal repetiti n#. Be8iant# are ine8itable becau#e that di#cur#i8e p 1er i# ne8er full! effecti8e and an! # cial field i# tra8er#ed b! 8ari u# di#c ur#e#. >he call# f r a l #enin$ f the cate$ rie# and a c aliti nal p litic# t a8 id the fi$ht# 8er purit!. (a$ain#t 5identit! p litic#6 b! "a<in$ e8ident identit!4# c n#tructi n) 3dentit! i# perf r"ati8el! pr duced b! act#. Bra$ perf r"ance# de#tabiliDe the naturaliDed cate$ rie# f identit! and de#ire. >he pr p #e# the the r! f 5$ender perf r"ati8it!6 Eer the r! i# t create " re #pace f r 8ari u# acti n# and% in a br ader #en#e% i# a $eneral tr ublin$% unfixin$ f the lin<# bet1een act#% cate$ rie#% repre#entati n#% de#ire#% and identitie#.

Preface f Gender Trouble 5;r uble6 i# ine8itable and i# f a"bi$uitie#. > "eti"e# it euphe"iDed # "e funda"entall! "!#teri u# pr ble" li<e bein$ a 1 "an in "a#culini#t culture % r f r in#tance% all de#ire t >artre . ("a#culine #ubAect ) fe"ale ther) 5fe"ale tr uble6Fhi#t rical c nfi$urati n f na"ele## fe"ale indi#p #iti n% 1hich 8eiled the n ti n that bein$ fe"ale i# a natural indi#p #iti n (un1illin$ne##). 0hat i# the be#t 1a! t tr uble the $ender cate$ rie# that #upp rt $ender hierarch! and c "pul# r! heter #exualit! 7 (dra$ perf r"ance#) ex. Female Trouble (p.'*G9) a fil" in 1hich a 1 "an pa##e# a# "an% #u$$e#tin$ that $ender i# a <ind f per#i#tent i"per# nati n that pa##e# a# the real. ('*G9) : ucault4# 5$eneal $!6 exp #e# the f undati nal cate$ rie# f #ex% $ender% and de#ire a# effect# f a #pecific f r"ati n f p 1er 5$eneal $!6C-- an origin and cause th #e identit! cate$ rie# that are in fact the effect# f in#tituti n#% practice#% di#c ur#e# 1ith "ultiple and diffu#e

p int# f ri$in. 0hen fe"ale n l n$er appear# t be a #table n ti n% fe"ini#t the r! n need t #ettle n identit! p litic#% then 1hat are the p litical p ##ibilitie# 7 (=ueer the r! % c aliti n p litic#)

Chapter 3. >ub8er#i8e B dil! ,ct# Bodily Inscriptions, Performative Subversions H in#cripti n# n the b die#% b d! a# a b unded #!#te"% li<e a # cial #!#te"% 1hich i# 8ulnerable at their "ar$in#. :r " 19I(#% fe"ini#t the r! and p litic# $r und# n the 1 "en4# identit! p litic# (cate$ rie# f true #ex% di#crete $ender% #pecific #exualit!)% ta<e# 5the b d!6 a# $ranted. Butler in=urie# the c n#tructi n f 5the b d!6. --Chri#tian and Carte#ian precedent# (#pirit and "atter duali#") p.'*91 --: ucault (b d! and hi#t r!) B d! i# fi$ured a# a #urface and the #cene f a cultural in#cripti n% the ta#< f $eneal $! i# t 5exp #e a b d! t tall! i"printed b! hi#t r!.6 : r : ucault% hi#t r! in it# e##ential and repre##i8e $e#ture. Ee #ub#cribe# t a predi#cur#i8e "ultiplicit! f b dil! f rce# that brea< thr u$h the #urface f the b d! t di#rupt the re$ulatin$ practice# f cultural c herence i"p #ed up n that b d! b! a p 1er re$i"e% under#t d a# a 8ici##itude f 5hi#t r!.6 --&ar! B u$la# (b d! and culture) Purity and Danger #u$$e#t# that the 8er! c nt ur# f 5the b d!6 are e#tabli#hed thr u$h "ar<in$# that #ee< t e#tabli#h #pecific c de# f cultural c herence. (#tructural-functi ni#") >he ta<e# b d! a# a " del t #tand f r an! b unded #!#te". b undar!% "ar$in#% dan$er% tab % rifice#% excre"ent

binar! #tructure f the nature) culture di#tincti n (#tructurali#") (p.'*93) 3n her the r!% the b undarie# f the b d! bec "e the li"it# f the # cial per #e. ex. ,id# (p.'*93) --.ri#te8a 5abAecti n6 in The Powers of Horror u#e# the #tructurali#t n ti n f b undar!-c n#titutin$ tab f r the purp #e f c n#tructin$ a di#crete

#ubAect thr u$h exclu#i n. (p.'*9*) --3ri# J un$ 5 inner ) uter6 >he appr priate# .ri#te8a4 the r! t under#tand #exi#"% h " ph bia% and raci#". (p.'*95) From Interiority to Gender Performatives H 3nternaliDati n f c ntr l? #ub8erted b! drag% 1hich 1) " c<# the expre##i8e " del f $ender% ') blur# the di#tincti n bet1een inner and uter p#!chic #pace? 3) exp #e# the di## nance bet1een $ender and perf r"ance. . *) exp #e# $ender a# a c rp real #i$nificati n? fluidit! f identitie# that #u$$e#t an penne## t re#i$nificati n. ('*G9) 5in#cripti n6 ( : ucault Discipline and Punish ) 3n the c ntext f pri# ner#% the #trate$! ha# been t n t t enf rce a repre##i n f their de#ire% but t c "pel their b die# t #i$nif! the pr hibiti8e la1 a# their 8er! e##ence% #t!le% and nece##it!. ;hat la1 i# n t literall! internaliDed% but inc rp rated n and thr u$h the b d!. (p.'*96) (# ul) b d! ) : ucault rede#cribe# the intrap#!chic pr ce## in ter"# f the #urface p litic# f the b d! in#pire# Butler t ta<e $ender a# the di#ciplinar! pr ducti n f the fi$ure# f fanta#! thr u$h the pla! f pre#ence and ab#ence n the b d!4# #urface. (777) (p.'*96) (p.'*9I 5the pla! f #i$nif!in$ ab#ence#6) the $endered b d! i# perf r"ati8e% n nt l $ical #tatu# apart fr " the 8ari u# act# 1hich c n#titute it# realit!. ;he 8er! interi rit! i# an effect and functi n f a decidedl! public and # cial di#c ur#e9.(p.'*9I) >he ar$ue# that the inner truth f $ender i# fabricati n and a true $ender i# a fanta#! in#tituted and in#cribed n the #urface f b die#% then $ender# can be neither true r fal#e% but are nl! pr duced a# the truth effect# f a di#c ur#e f pri"ar! and #table identit!. Bra$ full! #ub8ert# the di#tincti n bet1een inner and uter p#!chic #pace% " c<# b th the expre##i8e " del f $ender and the n ti n f a true $ender identit!. 0ithin the cultural practice# f dra$% cr ##-dre##in$% and the #exual #t!liDati n f butch)fe""e identitie#% the n ti n f ri$inal f pri"ar! $ender identit! i#

par died. C "pared t traditi nal fe"ini#t criticiDin$ f dra$ de$radin$ t 1 "en r uncritical appr priati n f #ex-r le #tere t!pe% Butler thin<# the relati n bet1een the 5i"itati n6 and the 5 ri$inal6 i# " re c "plicated. (p.'*9G) 3n i"itatin$ $ender% dra$ i"plicitl! re8eal# the i"itati8e #tructure f $ender it#elfFa# 1ell a# it# c ntin$enc!. -ender par d! re8eal# that the ri$inal identit! after 1hich $ender fa#hi n# it#elf i# an i"itati n 1ith ut an ri$in. ;he perpetual di#place"ent (i"itatin$ f i"itati n777) c n#titute# a fluidit! f identitie# pr 8ide# an penne## t re#i$nificati n and rec ntextualiDati n. ;h u$h in the par dic #t!le# are part f he$e" nic% "i# $!ni#t culture% but a# i"itati n# di#place the "eanin$ f the ri$inal% the! i"itate the "!th f ri$inalit! it#elf. Cp. pa#tiche 1ith par d! (p.'*99) (;he ri$inal i# re8ealed t be a c p!% and ine8itabl! failed ne% an ideal that n ne can e"b d!.) But par d! b! it#elf i# n t #ub8er#i8e9 (p.'*99) Butler #u$$e#t# that $endered b die# are # "an! 5#t!le# f the fle#h6(Beau8 ir). ;he#e #t!le# all ne8er full! #elf-#t!led% f r #t!le# ha8e a hi#t r!% and th #e hi#t rie# c nditi n and li"it the p ##ibilitie#.

0itti$ : $ender a# the 1 r<in$# f 5#ex6 (p.'5(() (+ te: For Wittig, gender in language is the "fictive sex." Linguistic gender marks social convention, she says in an essay entitled "The Mark of Gender," "cast[ing] sheaves of reality u on the social !ody, stam ing it and violently sha ing it." Thus, as "omen are marked !y gender in language # articularly French$, so are they marked in the social "orld, al"ays articular, never universal as is "man."

[htt %&&""".gl!t'.com&literature&"ittig(m.html ]$ 5#u#tained and repeated c rp real pr Aect6% 5#trate$!6 (p #t#tructruali#") 0hat <ind f perf r"ance "i$ht re8eal thi# #ten#ible 5cau#e6 t be an 5effect67 ,# in ther ritual # cial dra"a#% the acti n f $ender re=uire# a perf r"ance that i# repeated. ,nd the 5acti n6 i# a public ne. Conclusion : -ender i# an identit! tenu u#l! c n#tituted in ti"e% in#tituted in an exteri r #pace thr u$h a #t!liDed repetiti n f act#. -ender i# al# a n r" that can ne8er be full! internaliDed% 5the internal6 i# a #urface #i$nificati n%(777) and $ender n r"# are finall! phanta#"atic% i"p ##ible t e"b d!. -ender i# n t an expre##i n but a perf r"ance. -ender identit! i# re8ealed a# a re$ulat r! ficti n. -ender# can be neither true n r fal#e% $ender# can al# be rendered radicall! incredible.