- Judith Butler’s Theory of Gender Performativity, Explained - YouTube
- Judith Butler’s Gender Performativity, Part 2: What is “Performativity?” - YouTube
Definition of Gender
Gender is the stylized repetition of acts through time.
Key Points
- Judith Butler, Gender Trouble.
- “Performance” != “Performative”
- → Performative means that gender is not like a wardrobe of “gender” you can choose from every day.
- ⇒ Instead, it means gender is constructed into being. It is not something that you can easily choose, due to Microphysics of Power and other things
- Imagine gender as something like “I am a Duke student.” You are not born a duke student, nor is Duke a real physical fact of reality.
- You partially chose, partially was embraced by Duke, the socially constructed organization.
- Then gender is perfectly severed from biology (=disproves biological essentialism).